SD Gundam Force: Book 1
by Cybertoy00
Summary: NOVELIZATION the peaceful city of Neotopia is now benig attacked by the Dark Axis, and only a boy named Shute, and his new friends, the Gundam Force can protect it! Episodes 1-10
1. Prologue

**Superior Defender Gundam Force**

Book 1

_A Hero Arrives_

Based on _SD Gundam Force_ episodes 1-10.

Property of Bandai and Sunset.

--

PROLOGUE

_The time? The not-too distant future: The golden age of robotics engineering. _

_The place, Neotopia, where robots and humans coexist together in perfect harmony._

_Here, robots are not only workers, but pets, friends, and companions. Mankind and machine have achieved a happy, smoothly-functioning balance._

_In short, paradise._

…_Okay, so maybe it's a little boring, but that will soon change. Because even now, a dark cloud is looming on the horizon…_


	2. His Name Is Captain

Chapter 1: His Name is Captain

In the land of the Dark Axis, the sun did not shine- there was too many dark clouds to allow any rays to break through. It was a gloomy place, a wasteland in every sense of the word, as twisted as the evil that ruled it. Pocketed with rivers of lava, the realm was just a mess of rocks. There was no fertile ground, so nothing could grow or live. In any case, the Dark Axis hated living things with a passion. The only light in this terrible place was the glow of its twin moons at night- and even that only served to illustrate the evil that lurked within the monstrous, horned sphere that floated in the center of it.

The Dark Axis themselves were an army of robots dedicated to one thing- attacking other dimensions and stealing its technology to strengthen their own forces, and crushing anything, man or machine, that stood in their way. No one knew where they had came from, and no one cared.

The main forces of the Dark Axis were the Zako Soldiers- little green robots with doomed heads and singular computer eyes. A squad of them stood on the main deck of the Dark Axis' combat carrier, the _Magnamusai_, a ship with features that showcased what cruelty the Dark Axis was capable of. They chattered amongst themselves. It was almost time, they knew.

Then, the front doors to the ship's bridge opened up, and out strode Zapper Zaku. This terrifying robot was built similarly to the Zakos, but he was much bigger, with added armor and spikes. A fin on the top of his head signified his rank as a squad leader.

…Of course, he only came up waist-high to an adult human, but he was still bigger than the Zakos.

Zapper held up his hand, silencing the Zakos. Once he had their attention, he followed through with the speech he rehearsed the day before.

"The hour of the invasion has come," Zapper announced, "When we of the Dark Axis take control of all robots in all dimensions! Behold!"

Zapper pointed, and the Zakos looked behind him. Sitting on a floating island held aloft by rocket boosters, a massive gate, looking more like a beasts jaws than a doorway, showed a beautiful city.

"A world full of peaceful industrious robots for us to enslave and destroy! _Neotopia!_" Zapper declared, "That is our target!"

The Zako Soldiers cheered, waving their weapons in the air.

"Launch the _Komusa_i!" Zapper ordered.

From beneath the _Magnamusai_, a smaller ship detached itself and circled around the larger vessel. Laughing horribly, Zapper leapt aboard.

-z-

In Neotopia proper, things went on as they should be. It was 3:00, and that meant school was out!

Shute Ray, a 10-year-old boy skated home, glad to be free. He soon realized that he was skating alongside a blue train, and grinned. He went faster and faster, trying to beat the locomotive.

…_And they're neck-and-neck as they race for the finish line, the crowd's on its feet! _Shute thought, as he imagined himself not as a boy from school, but as a race car driver on the final lap of the Grand Prix.

Pulling out his PDA, Shute entered a few commands. _Engage rocket-roller power!_

The remote-operated boosters Shute had installed into his skates energized, sending the boy flying far ahead of the train.

_Yeeeah! Kid beats train! _Shute thought excitedly, leaping into the air. _And the crowd goes crazy- _"Whoa, watch out!"

Two mobile police units, a humanoid GM-class and a spherical Ball-class, were standing right where he was going to land!

"Sorry!" Shute cried, barely missing the officers. He skated off, deciding a strategic retreat would be in order.

"Darn, these kids today are wild…" the GM officer muttered before calling out, "Slow down there, you little hooligan! You're going to take someone's head off, you are!"

Shute waved at them, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry, officer! I'll take it slow, honest!

As Shute skated on, he heard a strange noise, like an electrical crackling combined with a gust of wind. Looking up, he saw flashes of purple energy.

_What's that all about? Wow, I've heard about these things, _Shute thought, amazed. _It's the Aurora Borealis!_

Then the energy focused into a shape like a yellow mouth, and a red ship flew out, like a bat out of…

"On second though…Who-oa!" Shute cried, diving for cover as the ship flew off. Looking up from the safety of the pavement, Shute saw the ship fly off and behind a hill.

"What the heck…" Shute groaned, rubbing his head. "You don't see _that _every day!"

Up ahead, the mobile police patrol were running after the ship.

"C'mon, boyo!" The GM was saying, "Let's go check it out!"

Shute got up and considered his options.

_If I was smart, I'd stay out of this… _Shute thought. Then he broke out into a run. _But I'm not!_

-z-

Meanwhile, Zapper Zaku stood on the _Komusai_, laughing as the ship flew around.

His fun was cut off as it hit a hill, sending him flying. The _Komusai _soon landed, and Zako Soldiers poured out.

Zapper quickly bounced back and landed in front of his squad.

"All right," Zapper yelled, "Now we grab all these robots and turn into scrap!"

The Zakos cheered.

Nothing.

Zapper looked around, feeling his was losing the moment. He lifted his foot and looked under. The Zakos imitated his actions.

Flower petals?

The squad looked around. They were in a grassy field, with wildflowers growing in patches here and there. A breeze carried more petals and the Zako's bewildered chatter through the air.

None of them noticed the young boy as he looked at them from the hill off to the side.

_Who _are _these guys! _Shute thought, panting.

"These are the wrong coordinates!" Zapper snapped, whirling at the Zakos. "Who's the bucket-head that put us down here!"

The Zakos shifted uneasily. The ship's course had been plotted out by Zapper, but they couldn't tell him _that_...

"You miserable bunch of mechanized metal morons!" Zapper snarled, charging at them. "Robots are in the _city_!" He flung an arm towards Neotopia, standing out like an oasis in the desert. "That's where we should be invading!"

Shute froze. _Invading!_

"But, _nooo_, you put us here on a field of filthy, smelly organics!" Zapper ranted, stamping his foot. "What are you waiting for, you idiots! Scatter the BaguBagu and turn this mess into stone!"

BaguBagu! The Dark Axis' most fiendish weapon. A BaguBagu was a green, robotic insect equipped with a stinger that would inject its unlucky victims with a very deadly energy. That energy, once inside the body, would enact a chemical reaction causing total petrifaction. Many a lush, vibrant world had been reduced to nothing thanks to these machines.

Shute watched in terrified amazement as the Zako Soldiers released a swarm of these bionic bugs from canisters, slowly turning the grass they were on into solid rock.

"Nasty stuff'll take over a whole planet if you let it," Zapper muttered, "That's right, pave it over!" He gave the now-stone a good stomp. "Yes, that's much better! I love the smell of fresh concrete in the morning."

"This guy's bad news…" Shute murmured. He was about to run for help, when he heard a siren.

It was the mobile patrol he ran into earlier!

"All right there, me lad," the GM said into a megaphone hooked up to his ball partner, "I'm afraid I'm gonna hafta be askin' you boys to cease and desist!"

"Who's that?" Zapper looked towards the newcomers. They were robots! "Ha!"

"Let's start with your dropping your weapons," the officer continued, "Robot citizens are not allowed to be going about with firearms."

"So I see there _are_ robots here…" Zapper pointed at the mobile police and roared, "Take 'em out, boys! Turn 'em into scrap!"

The Zakos brought out their guns, and as one, opened fire onto the police.

"Jiminy!" the GM cried, as he and his partner were splattered with bullets.

"Hey, wait!" Shute exclaimed, feeling his blood go cold at this senseless violence.

But the Zakos kept firing. It wasn't long before the two officers were reduced to a barely functioning heap.

"Cease fire!" Zapper ordered, and the Zakos stopped.

"All right…this is my last warnin'…" the mobile officer groaned, "Put…down…your…weapons…"

The Zakos were on them in a second, but Shute couldn't dwell on that. A loud buzzing alerted him to the swarm of BaguBagu that was gathering to form one _giant _BaguBagu.

And coming after _him_.

Shute took a step back, but was frozen in terror to do more than that. His life flashed before his eyes…

The BaguBagu attacked, but stung only grass. Something had pulled Shute away…but what?

-z-

Shute fell onto the grass, a dozen or so meters away from where he had been before. He wasn't sure how, but he had been saved…but by what? Looking up, he stared at his savior.

It was a robot, but unlike the normal GM-class mobile citizens, this one had two, blue eyes amidst a yellow background. There was a guard over its mouth, a V-like fin on its helmet. It word light-blue armor, and held a rifle and shield in each hand. On its shoulders Shute could see medals of some kind, a V-over-star with wings symbol like the one on the shield. On its back was some kind of backpack with boosters.

Shute had seen this type of design before in old war movies. It was a _Gundam_…but weren't Gundams just giant fighting vehicles, like tanks? This one was a sentient mechanical man…wasn't it?

"Do not be frightened," The Gundam said, "I am here to protect you. And do not be alarmed if you see me firing a weapon," The sunlight glinted off its V-fin. "I have been issued a special permit to use one. If you'll excuse me…"

The Gundam rocketed off, leaving Shute to stare in awe and wonder.

In the air, the Gundam looked down at the Zako Soldiers, who were carrying the damaged police unit towards their ship. Landing, he took aim with his rifle. Luckily, the BaguBagu swarm was right between them…

"Calcuating range to target…trajectory… We have a lock!"

The Gundam fired a purple beam from his rifle, vaporizing the BaguBagu as it speared through them. The beam went on to explode on the ground beneath the Zakos, sending their captives flying into the air.

"What!" Zapper cried, looking around wildly.

The Gundam grabbed the mobile police as they fell, and deposited them on a hill farther away. Then he rocketed back towards the Dark Axis force.

"You will withdraw at once," the Gundam commanded, "I would prefer to avoid further violence, but I am warning you; I will use this weapon for which I have been issued a special permit to use by the authorities."

Zapper leapt between his Zakos and the Gundam, brandishing two machine guns. "Oh, I don't really care about your stupid permit! _Here's my permit!_"

Zapper fired, but the Gundam weaved in and out of the bullets.

"Quick, but not quick enough!" Zapper snarled, continuing his onslaught.

But the Gundam kept moving.

"Stand still!" Zapper growled, getting fed up.

"Drop your weapon!" the Gundam ordered.

Zapper did so- and charged at the Gundam, preparing to ram his shoulders-spikes into him. The Gundam quickly threw his own rifle into the air and rushed forward, his shield up front. Zapper was a little distracted by the thrown weapon, but ignored it when his spikes met the Gundam's shield.

"What good's your permit now?" Zapper taunted, pressing against the Gundam.

A spike popped out of the shield's bottom, digging into the ground. Using the shield as a post, the Gundam leapt up and gave Zapper a kick in the back of his head.

"Hey, no kicking!" Zapper groaned, but got another kick- this time to the chest, sending him flying back. The Gundam jumped into the air and grabbed his rifle, firing at Zapper- but the invader simply rocketed away.

"Wow…" Shute gaped at the action. "No one's _ever _gonna believe this!"

"_Komusai_, hover mode!" Zapper ordered.

The robot landed on top of the now-moving ship, and looked down at his opponent.

"Very well, if that's the way you want to play it…" Zapper growled, and pulled a strange, yellow phone out. It looked like a miniature version of the gate back in the Dark Axis realm.

"_Magnamusai_, into position!" Zapper ordered, "Bring your main cannon to bear! Open the Zakurello Gate and prepare to fire!"

There was a crackle of purple energy as another yellow portal appeared in the sky. The Gundam could just see some kind of weapon on the other end of it.

"Ready?" Zapper pointed at the Gundam. "_Vaporize him!_"

-z-

In the Dark Axis, the _Magnamusai_'s cannon fired, sending two pulsing rivers of energy into the Gate.

-z-

The Gundam was about to rocket away when he remembered something.

_Oh no! The boy!_

The child was standing right _behind him!_

The Gundam fired into the portal, but the beams from the other dimension would not be stopped. With nothing else to do, the Gundam brought up his shield, in a futile attempt to defend.

The twin beams struck the shield, pushing the Gundam back. Shute gasped in amazement. Was the Gundam…winning?

No, he wasn't. The impact was just too strong. The Gundam felt his rifle melt into slag, and his shield beginning to do the same. He felt the energy overtake him…

KRAKOOM!

The Dark Axis went flying. The Gundam went flying

And Shute would have done the same if he hadn't been clinging to the grass for dear life.

"_No one's ever gonna believe this!_" He screamed to the world.

Once the explosion ended, Shute looked up. Everything was gone. There was no sign of anyone ever being there…except for that huge, fresh crater.

"Whoa…" Shute realized he had been holding his breathed and exhaled. "Well, at least they can't say I imagined _this_…"

-z-

It was sundown by the time Shute arrived at his house. He had spent several hours combing the field for the Gundam, but to no avail.

_I hope he's okay, wherever he is, _Shute thought as he hiked past the guitar weathervane, _He saved my life _twice,_ and I never even thanked him._

"Hey, I'm home!" Shute called out as he entered the house. His father, Mark, looked up from his guitar. Mark was a songwriter who seemed to spend hours a day writing songs in his private studio.

"Hiya, Shute!" Mark greeted.

"Dad, dad, you'll never believe it!" Shute jabbered, "The most amazing thing I'd ever seen! It was…"

"Boy, am I glad you're home," Mark cut in, shrugging at a cradle in the middle of the living room. "Would ya help me out? I could really use a hand here…"

-z-

"Up-up, Nana!" Shute whooped, lifting his baby sister into the air. "Hover mode! Fire stabilizers and lift-off!"

Nana giggled. She liked this game!

Shute cradled his sister. "But, seriously, Nana, it was unbelievable! And just like that, it was all over! Almost like it never even happened. Weird, huh?"

Shute saw a trail of smoke wafting into the air, and followed it to its source. It was coming from a little cabin…through the large hole in the roof he was sure hadn't been there before.

"Hey, what happened to my workshop?" Shute asked.

"Well, what are you two up to?"

Shute froze. His mom was home!

Keiko, a teacher at Shute's school (and his grade!) looked down at her children. Shute quickly put Nana in a carriage and wheeled it up to her.

"Hey, look who's here, Nana? It's mom!" Shute said quickly, "She really missed you, gotta go!"

As Shute ran for his workshop, Keiko called out, "Done your homework?"

"I'll do it in my workshop!"

"Where's your father?"

"He's working on a song in his studio, see ya later!" Shute yelled back as he stopped in front of the workshop's door.

_What if it's like radioactive, or something?_

"…Nah." Shute decided, and pulled the door open.

Inside, Shute could see that whatever had created that hole in the roof was also halfway through the high platform. Climbing up the ladder, Shute saw just what it was.

"It's him…" Shute breathed.

The Gundam, deactivated.

-z-

"I'm sorry, Shute," his Repairbot said, rolling away. "I'm a repairbot, not a magician."

"Well, that _was _a pretty big blast…" Shute admitted, examining the Gundam as it laid against the wall. "It's not surprising it messed him up."

Shute, with much effort, tried to lift the Gundam's arm. As he did, he got a better look at its medals and noticed two letters on each side of the emblem.

"G…F," he read, "I Wonder what _that _is?"

Shute stood up and looked down at the Gundam.

"I'm gonna get you working again if it takes all night."

-z-

Hours later, Shute began to seriously regret saying that. Nothing he tried seemed to have any effect on the Gundam. Nor could he find any external signs of damage. Nonplussed, Shute kept at it.

"Okay, let's see if _that _did something…" Shute murmured, trying to scan the Gundam with his scanner's transparent mode.

ERROR.

Shute groaned and fell back. "I give up. When I said I'd get you working if it took me all night, I didn't mean _all night_…"

From his new position, Shute saw the moon in the hole.

Frustrated, Shute shot up and yelled, "Okay, that does it! Rise and shine! C'mon, wake up!"

No response. The Gundam's eyes remained blank.

Shute groaned."C'mon, give me a chance to return the favor…" He whispered, "You saved _my _life, didn't you?"

Scratching his head, Shute looked around, trying to find any inspiration among the odds and ends he kept in his workshop. At the end of the room he saw a story book, Sleeping Beauty. Uneasily, Shute opened it up.

_With a kiss from the prince, the princess awoke._

_It's a radical procedure… _Shute considered, _But nothing else seems to be working._

"Shute, time for bed!" Keiko called from outside.

"Uh," Shute looked at the Gundam before answering. "I'm gonna sleep down here tonight, mom!"

"Well, lights out, it's bed time!"

"Right!" click. "Good night!"

Now in the cover of darkness, Shute inched towards the gundam, feeling more and more awkward.

_Okay, so maybe this isn't your standard robot repair manual… _He thought, _But, who knows? It might work…_

Making sure no one was watching, Shute took a deep breath. Pursing his lips, he put his face closer to the Gundam's. And closer. And closer.

(His heart was beating…)

(Something ignited within the Gundam…)

There was a click, and Shute leapt back. The Gundam's chest was opening! Was this some kind of self-defense!

"I wasn't _really _gonna do it!" Shute yelped fearfully.

To his relief, what popped out wasn't a weapon. It was a glass sphere, the size of his fist, with a tiny flame burning inside. There were two golden rings that had been circling around it, now lying inactive at the base of its stand.

"What is that?" Shute whispered, and leaned in for a closer look.

The flame seemed to be floating…

"That's a good sign. Maybe," Shute muttered, unsure. He reached out and felt something. "Kinda warm."

Grinning, Shute looked at his patient's blank expression. "At least we know your pilot light is still on. We'll have you cooking with gas in no time!"

Shute never saw the Gundam's eyes flicker.

-z-

Later, He awoke.

Looking around, He saw that He was in a domestic shelter of some sort. Judging from the broken wood and hole in the ceiling, this must have been where He had landed after the battle.

"Hey! You're awake!"

He looked, and saw that same boy from before.

"How're you feeling? Okay?" the boy asked excitedly.

"…You repaired me." The Gundam said. It was not a question.

"That's right!" Shute nodded eagerly.

"For what reason?" This _was _a question.

"Hey, it was the least I could do," Shute answered, stepping forward. "After all, you saved my life back there. Thanks by the way."

"No need for thanks," the Gundam replied, "I was merely fulfilling my directive."

"Well, don't get all mushy on me," Shute rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I'm Shute. So, what do they call you?"

"I can't tell you that," The Gundam explained, "My very existence is classified."

"Oh _wow_," Shute said sarcastically, "You're a lot of fun."

The Gundam's V-fin began to flash orange. "Enemy detected! In the factory district!"

"Huh? Who is it?" Shute asked as an idea came to him. "Those guys again!"

The Gundam gave Shute a look. "Erase my existence from your memory." He ordered. "None of this happened."

And with a roar of rockets, the Gundam was gone. Shute stared up through the hole.

"That's gratitude for y- YAAH!" Shute cried as the wood finally gave away and he crashed to the floor.

Groaning, Shute looked at what he had landed on. It was harder than the floor, that was for sure…

It was the Gundam's shield, warped by the heat of the battle.

-z-

It was the graveyard shift at the factory. Most of the workers had gone home, leaving a few maintenance and security mobile workers to mull about the long twilight hours.

"Greetings, robot workers," A harsh voice drifted in, "We have come to liberate you…in a manner of speaking."

Zapper Zaku evil chuckling echoed through the sky as the _Komusai _flew around. It turned a corner…

BANG!

"Ow!"

One GM-class worker backed away from the invaders, falling off his platform. Out from the shadows came Zapper and Zako horde.

"Right, let's try this again," Zapper gritted as the Zako lined up in front of the mobile workers. "Ready? Turn them to scrap!"

The Zakos fired, and Zapper yelled, "That's right, I want them in itsy-bitsy pieces!"

As the workers were blasted, Zapper grinned venomously. "Today this factory, tomorrow the world!"

"_Hold it!_"

That voice!

"Hmm? Hmm!" Zapper looked around wildly. It couldn't be! It _shouldn't _be! He gave a strangled cry of rage. "You again!"

The Gundam pointed at Zapper. "For the last time, you and your followers are to lay down your weapons!"

"What weapons?" Zapper asked, bringing out his machine guns. "You mean _these weapons!_"

Zapper opened fire, but the Gundam leapt over his shots and in front of the mobile workers. Holding out his arms, the Gundam shielded the workers as best he could. As his body rattled from the bullets, he fired back from the guns mounted into his helmet. The Zakos found themselves running away in shock. But the Gundam wasn't done yet. Taking advantage of their shock, he fired miniature missiles from launchers mounted onto his wrists, blasting the Zakos this way and that.

-z-

Far away, Shute skated as fast as he could, the shield tied onto his back. He saw the explosions from a distance.

…_I'll bet I'll find him over there. _Shute decided, and skated off. Then he fell over.

"Ugh!" Shute groaned, getting up. "Man, this thing is heavy…!"

-z-

Back at the factory, the Gundam's missile-launchers clicked ineffectively.

"Out of ammo, huh?" Zapper asked nastily as the Zakos fired back. "Such a pity."

Leaping up, Zapper landed on the _Komusai_, and had it fire at the Gundam. The Gundam now had to brace himself.

"Where are your bold words now?" Zapper sneered.

Any answer the Gundam had would have been lost in the gunfire.

"You know, it's kind of shame, really," Zapper admitted, "You put up a good fight. But all good things must come to an end," He whipped out the Zakurello Phone. "_Only the Dark Axis survives forever! _Open the Zakurello Gate!"

-z-

Outside, Shute had just arrived at the factory. But the gates were locked! He couldn't get in!

"C'mon…" Shute grunted, trying to force them open. When they refused to budge, he looked around for another option. Then he saw a pipe that went over the wall.

"That might work," Shute whipped out his PDA, "Roller rocket power!"

With the added speed, Shute rode the pipe over the wall, crashing on the other side. He was in!

-z-

"Stand by to open fire!" Zapper yelled into the phone.

_My shield…_ The Gundam thought frantically, _Where's my shield!_

"Hey, you!"

Captain looked. Just through the rain of bullets, he saw Shute skating towards him.

"Mr. Classified-Guy!" Shute yelled, "Here, catch!"

Shute stopped, releasing the rope on the shield. The momentum carried the shield off of his back and into the air.

"You left that at my place!" Shute hollered.

The Gundam leapt up out of the gunfire and caught the shield.

"Now we're even!" Shute yelled.

The Gundam landed and used the shield to block the bullets, but paid them no mind. He was too focused on Shute. Why would anyone go so far? He saved Shute because it was his function…but what function did Shute have to do _this?_

"…Thank you." The Gundam said softly.

(Inside, the flame erupted into a great fire…)

-z-

At a classified location, computers beeped frantically as new data came in.

"Output levels are climbing!" One technician cried, "They're off the grid!"

"The Soul Drive has activated!" Another techie realized.

From his chair, the Chief stood up so quickly his hat fell off.

"_What?_"

-z-

At the factory, the Gundam began to spin his shield around…and around…and around!

"That won't save you!" Zapper sneered, and yelled into the phone, "Fry the Gundam!"

-z-

On the other end of the Zakurello Gate, the _Magnamusai _fired its main cannon.

In Neotopia, the giant beams came out of the Gate, and struck the Gundam.

But he wouldn't budge. He felt an enormous power well up inside of him, energy like never before. He would not lose!

"That-a-way! Yeah!" Shute cheered.

The power grew stronger and stronger, and the Gundam felt as if he was on fire. But the fire did not burn…!

Clenching his fist, the Gundam focused the new power into that part, and increased the speed of his shield's rotation.

"What?" Zapper cried, taken aback at these new developments. Was the Gundam…_winning?_

With his fist glowing gold from the new power, the Gundam began to rotate it as well.

"Right back at you, _space-scum!_" The Gundam yelled, and _punched _the giant beam!

"Uh oh…" Was all Zapper had time to say before the impact of the pushed-back energy struck the _Komusai, _sending him and the Zakos flying back through the Zakurello Gate.

"Retreat…!"

-z-

"Enemy forces have retreated."

"Bring him back now." The Chief sighed, sitting back down.

"Roger."

The Chief put his hat back on. "And don't lose track of him this time…"

-z-

Shute looked up from where he had dove for cover. That explosion must have been even bigger than the one from the field, but this time it sent the bad guys packing!

"That was wild!" Shute whooped, jumping to his feet. Laughing, he swung his arm around and pumped it. "All right! Yo, way to go, robot-dude!"

The Gundam, his eyes burning with a now-fading fire, turned to Shute. Then he looked at his hand as the glow died down.

There was a hum of engines as a pair of flying vehicles landed in their area. On the sides Shute could see a yellow badge painted on, with the following words inside.

**SDG**

**Super Dimensional Guard**

The flying cars opened up, and a squad of blue GM-class mobile soldiers trooped out. Getting in-formation, they saluted the Gundam.

"At ease, men," The Gundam told them, "Secure those victims still functioning and download their memory drives for any data that may be of use."

Shute stared as the mobile soldiers got to work. _Whoa…look at these guys…_

"Shute."

Shute realized that the Gundam was talking to him. "Yeah?"

"Your assistance was…appreciated." The Gundam said as a way of thanks.

"Aw, that's okay," Shute said, scratching the back of his head. "It's like I did anything-"

"Goodbye." The Gundam turned around and marched away.

Shute stared. "Uh…hey. So, that's it, that's all? It's over? I'm never going to see you again?"

The Gundam stopped.

"Well?" Shute prompted, "Say something. I mean, I know you can't tell me your name, but… "

The Gundam's mouth guard opened up.

"It's not fair to keep me hanging…" Shute continued, and stopped when the Gundam turned around.

"All right, Shute," The Gundam said, his robotic mouth opening and closing in time with his voice. "My name is Captain Gundam. But, keep it to yourself, hmm?"

As the morning sun rose, bathing all with its golden light, Shute managed to overcome his shock enough to say, "Goodbye… Captain Gundam."

-z-

Off to the side, a trio of Zako Soldiers who not forced back through the Zakurello Gate poked their heads out of the alley they had been hiding in.

"Gundam?" They asked, confused. "Zako? _Zako?_"

--End Chapter 1--

A/N: First chapter in a novelization of the SD Gundam Force tv series I'm writing, complete!

You'll note the title said book 1. I'll be categorizing collection of episodes by book, mainly using the grouping method used by the Japanese website for the series.

Another thing I should mention is the choice for Shute's last name. His family name was never mentioned in the series proper, so I thought I could do some filling in on that regard. The name 'Ray' comes from Amuro Ray, the very first Gundam pilot.

Special thanks to MsDevin92 from for inspiring me.

Anyway, read and review!


	3. Soul Drive, Activate!

Chapter 2: Soul Drive, Activate!

"Soul Drive, activate! Fist Force! Punching power! Come on!"

Captain punched the air repeatedly. He was in a training hall at the SDG headquarters, trying to perfect a new technique.

"Any luck, Captain?" The Chief asked over a teleconference.

Captain stared at his fist. "No, sir. It's just no use. I can't activate the Soul Drive."

Deep within his body, the Soul Drive's flame flickered.

-z-

Zapper Zaku stood rigidly on the deck of the _Magnamusai_. Behind him were the Zako Soldiers.

Two crimson fannels- orbiting beam cannons, the size of a small dog- flew around the ship, before hovering on each side of the main bridge's entrance. On the door, a shadowy figure appeared.

The Commander.

"_Zapper Zaku,_" the Commander began in that ominous tone of his, "_I'm told a Gundam has appeared in Neotopia._"

"Yessir, Commander. I've got a full intelligence report for you. Front and center!" Zapper waved his arm, and a Zako Soldier hopped up next to him. "Well, show some intelligence, stupid!"

Zapper gave the Zako a swift smack upside the back of his head, and an image of Captain Gundam was projected into the air.

"His name is Captain Gundam, and he's dangerous. Just ask the soldier who brought us this report," Zapper looked away awkwardly. "You'll find him in the trash heap, sir."

"_Captain Gundam, huh?_" the Commander mused, "_I never expected that there would be a Gundam in _that _dimension._"

"Well, there is now, sir, and he's causing a lot of trouble," Thinking of the Gundam made Zapper's circuits burn. "Why doesn't he mind his own business? I mean, here we are, trying to conquer Neotopia, not bothering a soul, and here comes this Gundam with a chip on his armor-plated shoulder who-!"

"_Enough._"

Zapper reeled back in alarm. Too late. The fannels' weapons activated and struck the officer with twin crimson beams.

"Pain! Hot!" Zapper screeched.

Down below, the Zakos quivered in fear.

Once the fannels ceased fire, the Commander said, "_A second failure will not be tolerated. Understood, Zapper Zaku?_"

"Y-yessir, Commander, sir." Zapper coughed, now smoldering. Turning around, he glared at the Zakos. "Alright, soldiers, listen up! Our new Number One priority is to crush Captain Gundam! Now get out there and _find me that Gundam!_"

Zapper fired off his machine guns, sending the Zakos scrambling.

-z-

"You're being such a good girl while mommy grades these tests!" Keiko cooed to Nana as she typed at her computer.

It was a bright, sunny day in Neotopia, and that meant it was good day to be outside and take in the fresh, clean air. This was why Keiko was working outside with Nana, who rested in a stroller. Shute, however, was not outside. At least, not completely. In his workshop (Which _still _had the hole!), he searched the internet on his computer for anything he could pull up on Captain Gundam, using only a somewhat crude picture he had drawn the day after the battle.

"…Nope, not that one…" Shute muttered as he checked each search result, "Nope…not that one either… No…no…no…no, not this one either. Or this one… Or this one!"

With a groan, Shute fell back onto the floor.

"It's no use! I can't find it!" Shute groaned, looking up through the hole. Sighing, he held up the picture.

"I wonder where Captain is…" Shute sighed, putting the picture down. "You know… I may never see him again."

Then Shute saw something high in the sky. It was coming down….onto him!

CRASH!

Keiko jumped and looked around. Was there a car accident, or-

Oh. It came from the workshop. She could see the plume of smoke billow out from that hole in the roof. She remembered the time he tried to create a new rocket fuel.

"Oh, that Shute!" The mother muttered, turning back to her laptop. "He better be doing his homework…"

Inside, Shute coughed as he tried to wave away the white smoke caused by…whatever just came in.

"Wh-what the heck was that?" Shute groaned. Looking up, he saw the intruder standing on the high space above him.

It was a mobile citizen that Shute had never seen before.

"Good afternoon there, Shute." The robot greeted.

Shute raised an eyebrow. Did he know this guy?

The mobile citizen rocketed down from the high space and landed before Shute, saying, "To make a long story short, I would like you to help me."

"Freeze, freakazoid!" Shute yelled, backing away. "Who are you? You just barge in here without knocking and…"

The robot cocked his head. "But, Shute, have you deleted me from your memory already?"

"What are you talking about? Who _are _you?" Shute asked, confused. His voice _sounded _familiar, and there something about his torso and mouth, but…

Then the robot saw the picture of Captain. So that was it. With a wrrand a click, a faceplate slid over his mouth.

Shute gasped. That looked just like…

The arms and legs were different, and so was the helmet, but it was him!

Captain Gundam!

"Now do you recognize me?" Captain asked.

"Ca…Captain's back!" Shute cheered, throwing his arms over Captain in a hug. "Yay, Captain's back, Captain's back!"

"I'll remember to knock for now on." Captain apologized.

"Sorry!" Shute laughed, bouncing on his feet. "Looking like that I didn't recognize you!"

Captain's faceplate plate slid back and he said, "The existence of combat mobile citizens like me is top secret."

"Ohh, I get it!" Shute remarked, checking Captain all over. "So you disguise yourself, 'cause no one's supposed to know you're here!"

Then Captain did something odd. Taking a firm but loose grip on Shute's shoulders, he placed the boy to the side. Then, he threw some punches, ending in an uppercut. Shute stared.

"I knew it," Captain whispered, staring at his fist. "It's not working."

"Well, at least you looked cool, doing it!" Shute put in helpfully.

Captain rotated his head towards Shute, followed by the rest of his body. "I thought if I saw you, it would react."

"_What _would react?" Shute asked.

Captain's chest opened up, revealing the mysterious sphere Shute discovered the previous night. The flame flickered.

"The most vital unit inside of me called the Soul Drive," Captain explained, and told Shute about what had happened as he sent Zapper Zaku flying. "During that fight, the unit activated and then I was able to gain such amazing power."

"Yeah!" Shute punched the air. "You really unloaded!"

"But, I do not understand why the Soul Drive would suddenly become active as it did, Shute." Captain explained.

"Oh."

"I've tried all sorts of things since then, but the Soul Drive won't activate anymore."

Shute looked into the ball, and found himself mesmerized by the flame. "Hey…can I…touch it?"

"Hmm… I suppose…"

Shute reached toward the Soul Drive. "Will it burn me?" he asked worriedly. It hadn't last night, but Captain was inactive then…

"We'll soon find out." Captain stated as the gold rings circling the sphere rested at the bottom of the base.

"Well, _that's _reassuring…" Shute muttered, and placed his palms on the ball's surface. He smiled.

"It feels warm, all right," He said, "But not too hot."

Shute met Captain's eyes. "We have to figure out how it works."

An idea came to Shute. "I'll tell you what we'll do: We'll practice that punch _together!_"

"Practice?" Captain asked.

"Yeah, until we activate your Soul Drive!"

"Ah, yes. I see. Thank you, Shute."

Soon Captain and Shute were rocketing away.

Keiko didn't even look up from her computer, only nodding at the sound of her son's happy shouts. "Sounds like someone finally enjoys doing his homework."

In her stroller, Nana giggled and waved at her departing brother.

-z-

In another part of Neotopia, a Zakurello Gate deposited four Zako Soldiers in a heap behind some bushes. Scrambling to their feet, the Zakos stood to attention.

Good, no one had seen them.

Peeking out from the bushes, they saw a passing mobile police patrol.

"You know, shorty," The GM-class officer said to his Ball-class partner, "Sometimes I get the uneasy feeling we're bein' watched."

One of the Zakos quickly compared the GM's profile with Captain's. A red X appeared over the images.

"No match, Zako." The Zako told his comrades.

At the factory, they did the same for the workers. And the security. And the citizens.

The results were the same.

"No match, Zako."

The other three sighed. This was going to be a looong mission.

-z-

"Ha!" Shute cried, taking a fighting stance.

"Like this?" Captain asked, imitating.

They began to punch the air, with Shute coaching.

"Put your hips into it! Step further!" Shute yelled, "C'mon, Captain! You can do it! Hang in there!"

Taking a running start, Captain swung a might punch. And stood there, wobbly holding the stance.

"So, did it work?" Shute asked, skating up.

Captain resumed his casual pose and showed Shute the Soul Drive. "It's just not activating… We _are_ accurately repeating all our motions from that night, aren't we, Shute?"

"I think so, yeah…" Shute thought about it. "We must have missed something…" Another idea came to Shute. "Maybe you're trying too hard to do it!"

Captain cocked his head. "You mean, relax?"

-z-

Not too far away, the four Zakos glumly walked down the park pathway. So far, their search for the gundam had not turned up any leads. They must have scanned a _hundred _robots, too…

They passed a robot puppy. They scanned her.

"No match, zako." The scanning Zako announced, a big red X appearing over his eye.

The Zakos groaned.

"Let's loosen up. Give it a try, Captain."

The Zakos looked up. _Captain?_

-z-

"Roll your eyes, back and forth." Shute told Captain, demonstrating. "Now, turn your head…good! You're a natural!" he nodded as Captain spun his head around like a wheel. "Now, spin your arms!"

"And how is this related to the Soul Drive?" Captain asked, rotating his arms and head.

"Trust me. Can you spin them any faster?"

"Like _this?_" Captain asked, now sending up a small dust cloud with his speed.

The Zakos popped out of some bushes and one of them tried to scan the robot, but he was moving too quickly to get a decent image.

"Awesome!" Shute laughed, "Talk about a spin cycle!"

The other three Zakos looked on worriedly as their comrade's head began to spin as well.

"Faster! C'mon, go faster!" Shute cheered, "Now…stop!"

Captain halted, allowing the Zako to scan him. But since his mobile-citizen mode looked so different from his combat mode, it was-

"No…match…_zako…_" The spinning Zako groaned as his friends carried him away.

"You sure are hard to loosen up, Captain." Shute remarked.

"Sorry, Shute," Captain said sadly, "I guess I'm just wired too tightly."

"Don't worry," Shute assured him, "We'll figure it out. Maybe some more exercise will tire you out, and then you'll finally relax."

"Hmm… Very well."

-z-

With a sigh, Shute rested his head back against his hands as he lay in the grass.

Captain copied his movements. "So, do you think this posture will help the Soul Drive to finally activate?"

Shute cracked up. He couldn't help it.

"I fail to see the humor. Please explain."

"Forget it," Shute chuckled, before becoming fixated on the clouds. "Hey, Captain, don't you think that cloud looks like a turkey?"

"A turkey?" Captain looked at Shute as if he was crazy. "Shute, clouds are accumulations of condensed atmospheric water vapor. They aren't life forms, much less birds."

Shute grinned. "That's not what I meant. It's s_haped _like a turkey, see?"

"Oh."

Shute pointed at another cloud. "And that's…an elephant… And that's a butterfly. And that one's you, Captain!"

Captain scrutinized the cloud. It _was _shaped like him, but…

"Am I that fat?" He asked. He always thought his design was much sleeker.

"Nah, the sky always adds ten pounds," Shute chuckled, and pointed out more clouds. "And that's a dog…that one looks like a car… Oh! An apple! An umbrella…a rabbit…" He frowned as he tried to discern the next one's shape. "Uh…"

"An octopus!" Captain exclaimed suddenly.

"Huh?" Shute looked at the gundam, shocked. Then he began to laugh. "Right, Captain. See, you can do it."

Captain scanned the clouds. "And the one next to the octopus is a fish, perhaps?" He asked in wonder.

"Oh yeah. It also looks like an airplane."

"An airplane… Oh yes!" Captain realized happily. "I see it now!"

Then it happened. The feeling. The energy.

"Hey, the Soul Drive!" Shute cried, staring at Captain's chest. Something underneath was glowing. "It's activated!"

Captain regarded his hand, which had begun to shine and sparkle. "It's…"

"Captain?" Shute stared at the robot, whose eyes began to burn with fire. "Captain… Wait, that isn't the Soul Drive…is it?"

Before anymore could be said, a shadow passed over them. The flying ships, from after last night's battle landed in the field, and a squad of mobile soldiers marched out. Shute looked that them in worry. The light within Captain faded.

"Captain," One soldier saluted, "the Chief wishes to see you. It is imperative that you return to base immediately."

Shute looked from the mobile soldier to Captain.

"Don't tell me you're leaving again, Captain," he cried, "You just got here!"

Captain did not reply.

"And we almost had the Soul Drive activated that last time," Shute continued, taking Captain's arm. "If we just keep working together…"

Captain gently brushed Shute's hand off.

"Orders _are_ orders." He replied, not meeting Shute's eyes.

And with that, Captain marched up the ramp into one of the ships.

"Captain…" Shute said weakly, "You'll come back again?"

Captain kept marching.

"We'll see each other again, right?"

Now Captain was inside. The doors began to close.

"Captain!" Shute yelled, running forward. "Captain, please wait!"

The doors closed tight, blocking out Shute's voice. Captain felt cold.

The ships lifted off, almost blowing Shute away in the process.

"_Captain!_" Shute yelled, trying to run and put on his skates at the same time.

-z-

"_What!_ You searched high and low for Captain and you still can't find him!" Zapper roared angrily.

On the _Mangamusai _deck, three of the four Zakos shuffled their feet miserably. The fourth was too dizzy to shuffle properly, and just stood there wobbling.

"_You fools!_" Zapper screamed, firing his machine guns again. The Zakos fled, screaming. "He has to be _somewhere!_ Curse that Captain Gundam! We'll just have to go and smoke him out! Let's go, _Komusai!_"

The smaller ship detached from the carrier, now loaded with Zakos and Zapper.

"Zakurello Gate, open!"

The yellow portal energized, and the _Komusai _flew through.

"Captain," The Chief sighed over video conference, "I thought you understood that your existence was to be considered top-secret."

In the ship, Captain refused to look up as he sat in his chair. "…Yes, sir, Chief."

"We really can't have you running off like this. Now, please explain to me, Captain, why exactly did you go to see that boy again?"

"I…just… I don't know."

"Was it by any chance, the _Soul Drive?_" The Chief asked.

"…Yes, Chief." Captain admitted.

"I see. You went even though you're aware we're sparing no effort to research the Soul Drive _here_, aren't we?" The Chief asked firmly.

"Yes, Chief."

"And none of the data suggests that the boy had any influence on the Drive's activation, isn't that correct?" The Chief continued, his voice rising.

"_Yes, _Chief, but…" Captain began, but fell silent as the Chief slammed his fist on the arm of his chair.

"This isn't like you, Captain!" The Chief half-yelled, before calming himself. "From now on, all such activities are prohibited, is that clear?"

"But the boy is important!" Captain exclaimed.

"_Excuse me? _How so?"

Captain stood up. "I'm found of him, sir. Shute is my friend."

"Captain," The Chief said tiredly, "Please gain control of your emotions."

Captain looked at his hand, and said, more to himself than the Chief, "I sense that the time I spent with Shute has changed something deep within me."

"You do."

"And that change, sir, is somehow related to the Soul Drive," Captain finished. Looking up, he said, "Request permission to spend more time with Shute."

"But Captain, can't you understand?" The Chief asked, "You are a warrior, created to fight the Dark Axis! By being friends with the boy, Shute, you will be putting him a risk!"

"But… Chief Haro, I…"

"Nonsense! If you really cared for the boy, then that's all the more reason not to be with him. Not if you care about his safety."

Then Captain remembered. In his first battle with the Dark Axis, Shute had been in danger from being caught in the crossfire as a bystander. If the Dark Axis were realize that the two were linked, they would come after the boy. He might even be _killed…_

"…Yes, sir. I understand." Captain said sadly, sitting back down.

Then alarms sounded on both ends.

"What's going on!" Chief Haro cried, "Report!"

A read-out appeared on a screen.

"Sir! The Dark Axis has appeared in the harbor district!" A technician explained, "They're causing damage!"

Haro looked back at Captain. "There's no time to return to headquarters. Captain, use the Re-equip Ring! This is the first time it's been used in the field. Can you handle it?"

Captain stood up. "Not a problem, sir."

Chief Haro nodded. "All right! _Launch Re-equip Ring!_"

-z-

It flew through the sky, towards Captain's position- a giant, cybernetic ring, held up by jet engines attached to a strange, large sphere on top of the ring. It looked like a green tennis ball with eyes and an aviator's cap.

From below on the ground, Shute stared at the new arrival.

"What's that?" Shute asked, but lost interest as he saw one of the ships open up.

-z-

"All right, Captain, scramble!" Chief Haro ordered.

"Roger that." Captain nodded, and walked out on to the ramp. Looking down, he saw Shute, skating after them!

_What's he doing? He could get hurt! _Captain worried, but knew he had a job ahead of him. The Ring was getting closer.

"_Gundam Force!_" Captain yelled, and leapt.

Shute watched in amazement as Captain blasted into the Ring.

Inside, Captain was encased in an electromagnetic field that held him in place, as robotic arms removed his civilian arms, legs, and helmet, and replaced them with his standard combat parts. One the transformation was complete, he was handed his rifle, shield, and backpack.

Now armed and dangerous, Captain blasted off.

-z-

"Captain has completed transformation to combat mode!" The technician announced, "Now on-route to scene!"

Chief Haro clenched his fist. "We're counting on you, Captain."

-z-

"Hey!" Shute cried as he watch Captain fly off…in the _opposite _direction. "So, _that's _how it is…"

Shute resumed his chase. He wasn't going to give up yet! Not on his friend!

-z-

Neotopia Harbor was in chaos as Zako Soldiers fired at everything. One bullet hit a fuel tank, sending mobile workers flying. The robots that weren't sent flying were busy fleeing from the diminutive invaders.

Atop the _Komusai_, Zapper laughed horribly.

"Run wild! Go crazy!" he ordered, "With all this havoc, Captain'll be sure to show up!" Zapper's eye caught a glint in the sky. He sneered. "Ah, right on time!"

"I have been granted special dispensation to use firearms to prevent the invasion of Neotopia!" Captain stated as he arrived on the scene.

The Zakos fired at him, but Captain was too swift, dodging their shots and returning fire.

As Zakos went flying, Zapper yelled, "What kept you? We've been waiting forever, Captain! It's not nice to be late for your party! _Have some punch!_"

Zapper fired all his machine guns and Gatling gun at Captain, but the gundam simply moved in closer, avoiding the shots.

-z-

Outside the harbor, a traffic blockade had been set up.

"…The area up ahead is dangerous," A mobile police officer said to some civilians, "So please do not go beyond this point. This road is currently closed to traffic…"

Shute, unseen by all, silently skated through the bushes.

-z-

"Huh, you're a slippery little devil, aren't you?" Zapper growled.

Captain weaved in and out of the gunfire, zooming towards a stack of large containers. Using them as stepping stones, he jumped up into the air, giving himself a better chance to snipe Zapper…

…who leapt onto a cranebot.

_A crane? _Captain wondered, holding his fire. He couldn't take the risk of harming a mobile citizen!

"What's the matter, Captain?" Zapper taunted, "Not so bold and brave against an evil crane robot, are you!"

"Take your best shot!" Captain retorted.

"I don't_ need_ my best shot to destroy _you!_" Zapper crowed, and threw a red, egg-like device onto the cranebot's head.

There was a crackle of dark power, and the crane moaned in pain. As this went on, the egg unfolded into a large, robotic horn with a single mono-eye.

_What in the world? _Captain wondered, feeling uneasy about this.

The cranebot roared angrily as its eyes turned blood-red. It lifted the container it had been holding, then brought it down onto Captain! The gundam was force to jump back, just barely avoiding the assault.

"Surprised at our new technology, Captain?" Zapper asked in malevolent glee, "Anything we attach this Control Horn to, like a_ crane _for instance, becomes a puppet of the Dark Axis! And no strings attached either!"

Captain had no time to wince at the bad pun, as another container swung around and struck him, causing him to let go of his rifle. The weapon flew into the air and out of sight.

"Aww, you wost your teeny-weeny wifle!" Zapper laughed mockingly, as two more cranebots with Control Horns rolled up. "Too bad, 'cause now I have three cranes!"

Captain was visibly shaken by these events, but stood his ground. "Oh…okay, bring it on!"

The cranes began swinging their containers around, forcing Captain to dance about in a mad rush to stay alive.

It didn't last. One container brushed him, causing him to lose his shield, while another caught him completely, swinging him around the harbor.

"_Yeehaw!_" Zapper whooped, and sang, "Swing your partner round and round, and crush his head _on the ground!_"

Captain was able to push himself off of the container, but no sooner did he land when three more fell on top of him, pinning him face-up on the ground.

"Look out below!" Zapper jeered nastily, "Feeling kind of _boxed in_, Captain?"

Captain tried to force the containers off of him, but the weight was too much. Then it got even heavier as Zapper and the Zakos leapt on top.

"I have you right in my sights, Captain! And this time there's no escape!" Zapper growled, "I'm now going to destroy you once and for all!" He took aim with his gatling gun. "I wish I could say it was nice knowing you… _Buh-bye!_"

Captain struggled. If only he could activate the Soul Drive… If only he could access that power… If only…

"_Captain!_"

Captain looked up- or back, in this case. And he could not believe what he saw.

It was Shute! Out of breath, the boy rolled up to the metal railing separating the dock from the rest of the harbor.

"Shute?" Captain cried in shock, "No! Get out of here, now!"

"No way, dude!" Shute yelled back.

Zapper and the Zakos paused, confused. What was going on? Captain wasn't paying attention to them!

"Leave!" Captain yelled frantically, "It's too dangerous!"

"I'm going anywhere without you!" Shute insisted, "We're going to fight together as a team!"

Captain couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Shute…!"

"C'mon, remember what we worked on!" Shute yelled, "_You can do it!_"

Captain felt something warm inside of him. "…Yes I can!"

The Soul Drive glowed to life, its glow permeating Captain's chest.

"What's that!" Zapper cried, stepping back in alarm. Captain's entire _body _seemed to be glowing!

"_Soul Drive, activated!_" Captain yelled, his eyes on fire. With one swift movement, he _pushed _the containers off of him with such force that they, the Zakos, and Zapper went flying into the air!

"Awesome!" Shute cheered.

Up in the air, Zapper had reached the height of his ascent when he saw something leaping up after him, using the containers as stepping stones. It was glowing.

"Here comes the bad part!" Zapper groaned as he fell.

POW!

Captain landed a shining upper-cut right on Zapper's jaw.

_Oh, boy, _that's _gonna leave a mark… _Zapper thought as he and the Zakos were knocked back into the Zakurello Gate.

Meanwhile, the containers knocked the Control Horns off of each cranebot. Now free, the cranebots grabbed the _Komusai. _With one combined swing, they threw the ship through the portal, just before it closed.

Captain landed on the dock and looked at his glowing hand.

"Soul Drive, deactivate." He said softly. As the glow went away, he heard the sound of wheels rolling.

"Captain!" Shute cried, skating up to him. "You clobbered them with the Soul Drive!"

"Uh, thank you for your help, Shute…" Captain tried to say, but Shute was too busy chattering wildly to hear him.

"That was _amazing!_ Yeah!" Shute laughed as he did an energetic dance.

-z-

Over a special monitoring system, Chief Haro gazed at Shute's bright smile, and thought about what Captain had said.

…_Changed something within me…_

Was it as simple as that?

Could it be done?

-z-

The next day, Shute sat in his workshop, glumly drawing a picture of Captain in his mobile citizen mode.

_Man, I really miss Captain… _Shute thought, lowering his head.

There was a knock at the door.

Shute looked up. "Mom? Are you home already?"

No reply. Shute heard a slight roar of rockets, and stared at the figure coming in through the hole in the roof.

"Good afternoon there, Shute." Captain greeted, once again in mobile citizen mode.

"Captain!" Shute cried, jumping up. "You came back to see me again!"

"This time with my Chief's official approval," Captain explained, "The Chief has come to realize that your assistance is necessary to activate the Soul Drive."

"Which means-!" Shute gasped.

"Which means, I will be able to see you whenever I want from now on." Captain finished.

"Yeah! All right!" Shute cheered, hugging Captain. "That's great, Captain!"

"Yes."

"Shute, I'm home!" Keiko called from outside.

"Mom's home!" Shute cried, separating from Captain. He ran for the door.

"I suppose it would be best if I hid here in your room, then?" Captain asked.

Shute grinned at him. "No way, dude! I want you to come with me, Captain."

"But, my existence is…" Captain began.

"I know, I know!" Shute assured, walking up to the gundam. "Don't worry, I won't tell her anything about your top-secret mission, okay?" He began to fiddle with Captain's fist, forcing the hand open.

"What are you doing?" Captain asked, confused.

"Teaching you how to shake hands, a way to introduce you." Shute answered.

"To your mom and dad?"

"And to Nana," Shute explained, "I want to tell them I made a new friend."

Captain met Shute's eyes. "Your friend?"

"Yeah! Of course!" Shute led Captain outside.

"Hey mom! Dad! Nana! I want to introduce you guys to someone special! His name is Captain and he's lots of fun!" Shute leaned to Captain and whispered, "Go on, say something!"

Captain held out his hand like Shute had taught him. "…Hello. I am Shute's…" That warm feeling returned. "_Friend._"


	4. Zero, the Flying Knight

Chapter 3: Zero, The Flying Knight

Nighttime in Neotopia. The petrified area of the field Zapper Zaku's squad first appeared in.

A lone figure stood in the center of it, holding a stone bird in its hands. A soft breeze rustled its cloak as it sadly regarded the poor creature.

"No organic signatures for a 250 meter radius."

Quickly, the figure hid. Looking out from its hiding place, the figure could see a squad of the SDG's mobile soldiers inspecting the field with strange equipment.

"It looks like the whole area was petrified during the Dark Axis invasion." Another mobile soldier commented.

"Found another one, sir!"

One soldier handed something to the officer in command.

"Looks like it was a small bird."

The figure watched as the mobile soldiers carried petrified animals into a trio of SDG ships, the gunperries.

"Be careful not to damage the samples." The officer ordered. "When the lab figures out this petrification phenomenon, they'll want them intact."

"Of course! That way, when we reverse the process, each animal will return to normal."

None of the mobile soldiers saw something fly past the moonlit sky.

-z-

Inside Shute's workshop, the boy was busy working on something. He had his Repairbot hold the large object up for inspection.

"Gently… Gently now…" Shute said, "Take it easy."

There was a knock at the door.

"It's open!" Shute called, "C'mon in!"

The hatch on the roof- which replaced the hole that was there- opened up and in came Captain in mobile citizen mode.

"Good afternoon there, Shute." Captain greeted.

"You dropped in right on time!" Shute waved, "I've been playing around with a new invention, and I wanted to see if you thought the idea would fly."

Shute had the Repairbot lower the device. It was flat, with fans on the sides, miniature propellers on top, straps, rockets, two robotic hands, a mallet, and some kind of large paste tube.

"Very impressive," Captain applauded, "…What is it?"

"It's a multi-purpose kite, a secret weapon," Shute explained, "See, because of me, your Soul Drive gives you a power boost."

"That's true."

"So, I think I've come up with a way to help you win your battles!" Shute continued excitedly, "Follow this: I fly overhead and cheer you on, and give you energy to beat the bad guys!"

Captain nodded. "I see. I do have one question, though. How do you plan to get it out of here?"

Shute blanched with realization. "Omigosh, you're right! I assembled it inside and it's too big to get through the door!

"My brilliant plan…" Shute wept, sinking to the floor. "It's slipping down the drain! I thought I had it set, but I didn't use my brain…"

(No son of a songwriter could go without the occasional verse!)

Captain however, had an idea.

"Why don't we get it out _this _way?" He asked, and_ lifted _the workshop off its foundations! Then, he casually slid the kite outside before dropping the building back into place.

Shute stared. "…I coulda thought of that."

Captain opened the door. "So, you ready to go?"

"Uh…sure."

-z-

"You have failed me _twice!_"

Zapper Zaku cowered on the deck of the _Magnamusai_ as the Commander's fannels bore down on him.

"I'm sorry, Commander! It's that Gundam's fault! If it wasn't for him- _ACK!_" He screamed as the fannels zapped him.

"Gundam, you say?" the Commander hissed, "Those detestable beings appear in each and every world we invade, and stand in the way of our ultimate victory." The Commander ended Zapper's pushiment. "Zapper Zaku!"

Zapper quickly stood up. "Sir!"

"This assignment is too much for you alone."

"Oh no, sir!" Zapper begged, "Give me another chance and I'll fry that tin can's circuit boards!"

The Commander ignored him. "Grappler Gouf! Scramble!"

Zapper blanched. "_What? _Please, sir! Not him!"

He heard a snicker and looked around. On one of the ship's cannons he saw a sleek, blue Dark Axis robot, with a large sliver set of claws for a hand. He also had a command fin.

"_You!_" Zapper snarled, "Get lost, will ya!"

"Incompetent." Grappler Gouf smirked, and lunged at Zapper. Zapper let out an almost-restrained cry of anger and fear as the blue robot halted his attack just inches from Zapper's eye.

"_Enough you two!_" The Commander barked.

"Yes, sir!" The two officers responded, standing to attention.

"Grappler Gouf, you will take command of today's mission." The Commander ordered.

"This clown isn't qualified to- Hey!" Zapper cried as Grappler pointed his claws at him.

"Too bad you don't fight as well as you whine." Grappler taunted.

"You're such an incompetent moron you couldn't command a _toaster!_" Zapper hissed, but Grappler merely laughed.

-z-

Outside in Neotopia, Shute was giving Captain a more detailed summary of his kite's features.

"This baby's really loaded, Captain!" Shute told him eagerly, "Check out these glue-guns I installed!"

Shute held a rock under the paste tube and pour some green jell.

"If you want something to stick, this stuff is solid!" Shute declared, and threw the rock against a boulder, where it stuck via the glue. Captain gave the stone a good tap, then a harder one. The rock would not budge.

"You're right. These _are _quite solidly attached." Captain noted.

"It's in case something breaks and you need to repair it out in the field," Shute explained, before turning to the tube. "Now, let's see… How can I get this to dispense automatically…"

"Oh my! I've lost my umbrella!"

Shute looked up, and saw a parasol fly in the wind. As the umbrella was blown away, he saw _her_.

Sayla Mass, a girl with big blue eyes and fluffy blond hair. The hair bounced as she jogged after her lost parasol with the grace of fairy.

"Hi Sayla!" Shute cried quickly, waving hurriedly. "Don't worry! You're umbrella's over here, I'll get it for you!"

Captain stared as Shute zipped off. "_I _could get it more efficiently…"

"I'm in _great _shape!"

"…I see. Understood." Captain turned and noticed that the girl had stopped right next to him. He wondered why her presence caused such a change in Shute's behavior.

A few minutes later, Shute, gasping and heaving, handed Sayla the parasol back.

"Here you go, Sayla…" Shute breathed, obviously winded. "No problem…"

"Thank you, Shute." Sayla replied, smiling sweetly.

Shute rubbed the back of his head, looking away. "Ahh, really, no thanks necessary. I mean, Captain will tell you, I do this kind of thing all the time!"

Captain didn't have eyebrows, but if he did they would have risen.

"Wait a minute, where are my manners? Sayla, let me introduce you to Captain, my new best friend," Shute introduced, "Captain's visiting here from, uh, _way _out of town." Shute pointed to his house, then to the house nearby. "If you look up there, Captain, you can see Sayla's house. She's one of my classmates. And she lives right next door to me."

Captain noted the location of Sayla's home. "Ah, yes. You are stationed in the same area." He nodded at Sayla. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Sayla."

"It's nice to meet you too, Mr. Captain." Sayla giggled.

"So, what's up?" Shute asked, "We're here to fly a kite. You can stay and watch if you'd like."

Sayla explained that she had been baking a cake, as part of her confection hobby. "The cake I made turned out so well, I came to get flower petals to decorate it with."

Shute thought about Sayla's cakes. His mouth began to water.

"Kite-flying looks fun," Sayla continued dreamily, "But, really, I should go back and finish my cake."

Shute quickly realized he was drooling and wiped his mouth. "Sounds delicious."

"You really think so?" Sayla asked, "Because I put a lot of effort into it! I made up the batter with extra sugar, some eggs, and plenty of cream…"

Shute's eyes glazed over as Sayla continued to talk, her voice becoming a sweet, distant blur.

"Uh, Shute?" Captain put in, "We really _should _test the aerodynamic properties of the kite…"

"…To look like a flower garden appearing out of a cloud," Sayla finished, "But it's no big deal."

Shute stared.

"…You're turn to speak, Shute." Captain prompted.

"…Yeah…" Shute murmured before collecting himself. "Listen, Captain, why don't we wait on the kite for a little while? I need to walk Sayla back to her ca- I mean, house. We'll test the kite when I get back."

"…Understood, Shute." Captain said, even though he really didn't.

-z-

"Prepare to launch _Komusai!_" Grappler ordered, now with a shield attached to his claw.

As the small ship flew towards the gate, he said, "Now, Zakurello Gate, stand by."

The ship flew into the gate, vanishing into the abyss.

-z-

"Wow… This is great!" Shute laughed as the kite soared through the air. He was especially having a good time strapped in the kite's center. On the ground, Captain kept a firm hold on the reel for the kite's wire, with Sayla watching.

"Shute looks like he's really having fun," She giggled, before turning to Gundam. "Now, Captain, was it? Would you like some cake?"

Sayla held out a small basket and opened it, showing the small pastry inside.

"You can't have that cake, Captain!" Shute cried from high above.

"Why not, Shute?" Captain asked, confused.

"Because I haven't even tasted it, yet!" Shute wailed.

"I said he could have some when he came down to earth," Sayla explained. She giggled. "You two seem to be good friends."

"Friends…" Captain repeated, mulling the term over. "…Yes. He is my best friend."

Captain stared up at Shute. Then he looked at Sayla.

"Would it be all right if I flew the kite," She asked, smiling innocently. "Just for a little while?"

Captain thought about it. The wind wasn't blowing that hard, and Shute seemed to trust her, so, he handed her the reel.

"I wonder how high this contraption actually goes?" Sayla wondered aloud, "If you had enough wire, you could probably go all the way to the moon."

"With 240,000 miles of wire, yes you could." Captain answered.

Sayla thought about it. "240,000 miles of wire… I wonder if that would fit in the back of my father's truck?"

For a brief moment, life was good. Three friends, flying a kite, and sharing the sunshine. It was as sweet as Sayla's cake.

Then it went sour.

Shute gasped as he saw a Dark Axis portal open up, spitting the _Komusai _out.

"They're here, Captain!" Shute yelled down below. "The Dark Axis!"

Captain stood to attention and quickly sent a brief message to headquarters. "Verified. Mobilizing." He turned to Sayla. "This is an emergency. We have to bring Shute down at once!"

Sayla nodded, a bit confused. But while Shute _did _install an automatic rewind function on the reel, it worked very slowly. And she couldn't do it herself any faster.

Shute saw the Re-equip Ring fly towards them. "Captain, here they come!"

"Right!" Captain nodded, and said to Sayla, "Sayla, keep a strong grip on that kite!" before blasting off.

Sayla watched breathlessly as he flew away. What was going on!

-z-

Meanwhile, the _Komusai _had landed in some trees next to a lake. The squad quickly exited the ship.

"All right, Grappler, you've been in tougher situations than this," The invader said to himself, "Just take it one Zako at a time."

He checked his surroundings. Trees. Flowers. Lake. Hmm, there was some kind of swan-shaped ferry boat. Oh well.

"All this beautiful scenery…" Grappler muttered, "It makes my circuits run cold."

Zapper snorted as a means of agreement. "All right," He told the Zakos, "It's time to scatter the Bagubagu!"

The Zakos opened their canisters and released the insidious insects. In minutes the entire area had been turned to stone.

-z-

Meanwhile, Captain finished his Re-equip process, and blasted towards the scene.

-z-

Zapper tapped his feet on the newly petrified ground.

"All right," He commented, "This is how you take over a garden paradise and turn it onto an empty, lifeless piece of rock!" He whipped out his machine guns. "Now, whaddya say we go and find the Gundam, huh?"

The Zako Soldiers exchanged worried looks. Then, by democratic process, one was shoved in front to deliver the bad news.

"Our coordinates were off again, zako," It said, "We…don't know where he is. Zako."

Zapper felt something go pop.

"_What! _Idiots!" Zapper bellowed, firing his guns everywhere. "Why didn't you alert earlier!"

Grappler shook his head as the Zakos danced to avoid the bullets.

_Oh, brother. I should've known this crew would be useless. _Then Grappler noticed the swan-boat, now docked. _But _this _looks promising! Maybe this creature can direct us to the Gundam…_

-z-

The Swan-ferry was taking a nap were she heard a strange chanting. Waking up, she saw an odd line of little green soldiers marching up to her.

"Sorry," She told them, "But service has ended for the day. Please come back tomorrow. Our operation hours are 9:00AM-6:00PM, Monday-Saturday."

With defeated sighs, the Zakos turned around and marched back to Grappler Gouf.

"The boat says it's closed, zako-zako." The Zako up front told him.

"It doesn't matter!" Grappler yelled angrily, "Go grab it!"

The Zakos panicked and ran back towards the Swan, but a purple bolt blasted them off their feet.

"What!" Grappler looked around and smirked when he saw Captain land. _So, he's here._

"I have been granted special dispensation to use firearms to prevent the invasion of Neotopia," Captain stated, taking aim. "Withdraw at once!"

"I have a better idea," Grappler grinned maliciously, charging at Captain. "_You _withdraw!"

Grappler knocked Captain's rifle out of his hand with his claw, then kicked his shield away. The rifle, its power cells cut, exploded as it landed meters away. The explosion sent Captain flying backwards, flipping in the air.

"Head over heels to see me, huh?" Grappler taunted.

"Who are you?" Captain asked, pulling the handle off the top of his backpack. It ignited into a beam saber.

Grappler reached into his shield with his normal hand and pulled out a large sword. It had a jagged blade. "I see no need to give my name to someone who's about to be turned into _scrap metal!_"

-z-

Up in the air, Shute watched the distant explosions.

"Sayla, let go!" He yelled, "I have to help the Captain!"

"Are you sure you can control this thing?" Sayla asked worriedly.

Shute gripped two joy sticks connected to the kite. "Don't worry!"

Pressing the buttons on top, Shute activated the rockets, blasting away.

"Wait a minute, I haven't let go yet!" Sayla cried as she was pulled into the air. By the time she realized what was happening, she was already a mile up. She broke the unwritten rule about heights and looked down.

"Oh _dear!_" She shrieked.

-z-

Meanwhile, Captain and Grappler traded blows, each trying to get the other with their blades. During a brief moment when their blades locked, Captain fired at Grappler from his helmet-guns. Grappler hissed and danced away, avoiding anything more than superficial damage. Before he could make a proper counterattack, a rain of bullets separated the two.

"I'm cutting in, Grappler!" Zapper explained, leaping in front of the blue invader. "I'll go ahead and take it from here!"

Zapper fired from his machine gun, but Captain blocked the blows with his beam saber.

Up in the air, Shute flew his kite closer to field…while Sayla clung to the reel for dear life.

-z-

A mysterious figure picked up Sayla's basket and regarded it. The being turned towards the sounds of gunfire and nodded. The wind rustled its cape.

-z-

Back at the lake, Zako Soldiers tried to fire at Captain, but he kept zooming around knocking them away with his saber.

"Now you can try a real warrior!" Zapper yelled, sliding in from behind. He fired, but Captain whirled around and blocked the shots with his saber.

Laughing maniacally, Zapper charged in closer. Suddenly, his leg froze and he fell over. With a stubborn growl, he tried to resume his run but couldn't move. His leg was stuck. Stubbornly, he pulled at it to no avail. Looking down, he found that he had stepped into some green jell.

"What's this stuff?" He snarled.

"_All right!_" Shute whooped, and hit the trigger button again. Globs of glue rained down onto the battlefield, catching running Zakos whenever they stepped in it.

"Captain!" Shute called out, "Operation: Superglue is big success!"

"Well done, Shute!" Captain applauded, and zoomed at Zapper.

"Uh oh!" Zapper cringed and braced himself for the worst- but it never came. Curious, Zapper looked and saw Captain's fist mere inches from his face. Something had stopped the Gundam.

Confused, the Gundam looked down and saw that in his zeal, he had forgotten to watch his path and ran right over a patch of glue!

"Oh no…" Shute whispered. His own trap had caught Captain!

Chuckling evilly, Zapper pulled out a battle axe. Captain prepared to fight with his beam saber. They weren't so far apart that they couldn't get each other with weapons!

"Captain!" Shute cried out, but then saw a blue blur rush by on the field. Looking down, he saw Grappler Gouf leap up aboard the Swan's head, Control Horn in hand.

"Service for the day has ended." The Swan said, but before she could say any more, Grappler planted the Horn onto her. Her body crackled with electricity as the horn grew, turning her eyes red. She unleashed an angry honk. She belonged to them now.

Captain and Zapper continued to trade blows when the ground shook. Looking up, they saw the Swan-boat rise up out of the water!

_Oh no! _Captain thought.

_It has _legs? Zapper thought, _How is it a boat!_

"Forward, my flat-footed friend!" Grappler urged from atop her head, "Find and crush the Gundam _intruder!_

Shute, flying around, gritted his teeth.

"I've gotta go stop him!" Shute growled, "Let's _go!_"

Shute steered the kite towards Grappler. Maneuvering the robotic arm, Shute took out the mallet and tried to knock off the invader and the Control Horn. However, all he did was annoy Grappler.

"You little… What do you think you're _doing?_" Gouf snarled, and knocked Shute away with his claw.

Shute yelled in pain, as the claws had cut him. It wasn't a deep cut, but it still hurt.

This was too much for Sayla, and she let go of the reel in shock. She screamed, both in fear for Shute's life and her own.

"What the heck…" Shute saw his neighbor plummet. "_Sayla!_"

Activating the kite's rockets, Shute shot under her and caught the girl in his arms. However, now there was no way to steer, and nothing to stop them from falling!

The kite hit the ground with a papery crash.

-z-

When Shute opened his eyes, he realized that he was still in the air. Looking around, he wondered if he died and become a ghost. He tried to slow his beating heart long enough to think-

_Wait. Ghosts don't have heartbeats. And they can't feel the air, could they?_

Looking around, Shute found that he was being held up by the cuff of his shirt by…

A Gundam?

It _was _a Gundam! But unlike Captain, this one wore deep blue armor, with wingtips on the helmet, and a flowing red cape. It looked rather like a knight in shining armor. On each shoulder pads was a medal with some kind of flower emblem. On its chest was a light green jewel.

And in his arms was Sayla!

Grappler stared at the Gundam as it carried the children off.

"That looks like…" Grappler's eyes narrowed. "…_No, it can't be!_"

-z-

The Gundam found some normal grass and landed. After casually dropping Shute, it gently let Sayla down.

"You are not injured, are you princess?" The Gundam asked in a deep but effeminate voice.

Shute was up on his feet in an instant and pointed at the Gundam.

"Wait, who are you!" he demanded. His gratefulness at being rescued was suppressed by his annoyance at being dropped like that.

The Gundam regarded Shute as one would look at those small, barking dogs on a leash.

"…That is unimportant right now." The Gundam replied, and looked past the boy.

Shute heard a loud buzzing from behind, and whirled around, jumping back.

A swarm of Bagubagu! They were petrifying the grass, and it wouldn't be long before they got to work on the children!

"Fear not," The Gundam said, and raised his hand. "There is no need to panic. _O Mana, come to me!_"

There was a flash of light, and a blue circle covered in runes appeared over the Gundam's head. Out from it came a magnificent red shield with a wing pattern, falling gracefully into the Gundam's hand. Elegantly, the Gundam unsheathed a type of sword Shute recognized as a claymore. From its tip there came a ray of light, which expanded into a light-blue force field, covering the three of them. Shute could see tiny energy swords dancing about, fending off the Bagubagu.

"Wow…" Shute gasped, turning to the Gundam. "How did you do this? It's like magic!"

But the Gundam ignored him, focusing on Sayla.

"Princess," He said, kneeling before Sayla. "I beg your patience a short while longer."

"…Okay." Sayla replied, nodding. She still had no idea what was going on, but was grateful to her savior.

The Gundam nodded back and turned to Shute. "You, boy!"

Shute jumped to attention.

"Courage and recklessness must never go hand-in-hand," The Gundam told him, "It is…unseemly."

And with that, the Gundam rose into the air, flying out of a hole in the force field, closing it afterward.

"Hey!" Shute cried, realizing he had just been zinged. "Wait a minute! You never said who you were!"

The Gundam ignored him and flew off. Sayla softly waved.

"Bye…" She whispered.

-z-

Things hadn't changed when the new Gundam returned to the battlefield. The Swan was still stomping towards Captain, who was still facing off against Zapper.

"From what I have seen," The Gundam proclaimed loudly, getting their attention. "Your technique is crude."

Captain looked up and stared at the floating Gundam. He had never seen another Gundam before,

"I don't know who you are," Captains said at last, "But perhaps you'd like to come down here and take over this battle!"

"I see no reason to glue _myself_ to the ground," The Gundam sniffed, "You seemed to have mastered _that_ tactic."

Grappler pointed an accusing finger at the newcomer. "Wait a minute, I know you! The Gundam from Lacroa, it's you, isn't it?"

"No way!" Zapper cried, trying to push Captain's saber off his axe. "How could he have tracked us over such a distance!"

"In fact, I _am _that very Gundam!" The Lacroa native declared, "I am recognized as the mightiest Gundam in all of Lacroa! I am also known as Zero, the Winged Knight!"

"I don't believe this!" Zapper groaned. More Gundams! Just wait till the Commander hears about it!

"You're the _Lacroix _Gundam?" Captain asked, confused. He had never heard of Lacroa, no place exist on this Earth- wait. _This _Earth.

The only reason the SDG were able to plan for the Dark Axis' invasion was, two years ago, there had been reports of a mysterious visitor from another dimension.

Was Zero that warrior?

"I have shielded your comrades. Observe!" Zero went on, "I did not intend to show myself, but where there is a beautiful princess, it is a knight's duty to protect her."

Captain looked and saw Shute and Sayla running towards them, the force field still in place.

"Your assistance is appreciated!" The mobile defender thanked.

"I don't care _who _you are, you big jerk!" Grappler interrupted, "I'm gonna turn the two of you into a petroleum pancake!"

"You're pitiful threats demand a response!" Zero shot back, and flew at Grappler atop the Swan's head.

"Oh yeah? Respond to this!" Grappler snarled, and leapt at the knight, sword and claw ready.

They met in mid-air, where they clashed swords for a brief moment. But Zero easily turned Grappler around and knocked him down with his shield.

"You ready for more?" Zero asked, and flew at Grappler. The invader tried to defend, but soon found himself outmatched. Zero easily knocked his sword away, and then…

"_My arm!_" Grappler howled as the claw was sliced off.

Zero was about to continue, but a hail of bullets distracted him. The Zakos, still glued to the ground, were firing their weapons at the knight. Zero easily flew out of range.

"So, it's going to be fifty against one, is it? How cowardly of you!" Zero swung his sword, sending out a sudden gust of wind. The Zakos soon found their guns flying out of their hands…and were blown away as well!

Grappler winced as he watched the Zakos hit the ground. "That was unexpected… I see we have a trouble maker."

Another Zako Soldier ran up, carrying a spare arm for Grappler. This looked like his normal, non-clawed arm. Looked.

"Thanks for giving me a hand," Grappler said after the Zako fitted the new arm into the empty socket.

-z-

"What's taking you so long!" Zapper yelled at the Swan-boat, "I can't hold this guy forever! Get over here and _squash this Gundam!_"

The Swan honked, and took another tremendous step forward. As it did, Zapper got a good look at the size of her webbed feet.

"Watch it!" He yelped, "I'm down here too, you know!"

"I think it's time to end this little game, don't you?"

Captain and Zapper paused in mid-clash as Grappler pointed his new arm at them. The arm split into sections, revealing a cannon barrel and targeting grid.

"A well-placed missile ought to do the trick." Grappler snickered.

Zapper's eye widened as he saw what the blue 'bot was up to. "Hold on, Grappler, let's take _me _into consideration!"

"If I were you, I'd step away right now!" Grappler replied, and fired the missile, which unfolded to reveal spikes.

"Are you crazy! I can't get loose of here and you know it!" Zapper screamed. This was _exactly _why never liked working with Grappler!

Captain fired his helmet-guns at the missile, but the projectile had a motion sensor. It just swayed around the bullets.

There was a loud honk, and the two of them remembered the Swan-boat. She lifted a foot over the two.

This was too much for Zapper. Crushing doom from above, exploding doom from the front…he cowered.

"_Mommy!_" He whimpered, bracing himself.

Grappler grinned sadistically. "Time to say goodnight, kiddies." This was working out perfectly… The Gundam would be scrap, and his rival with it. That promotion to commander would be his for sure.

Captain stared up at the incoming foot, hearing the missile flying in, when Shute's voice rang out.

"Captain!" Shute yelled, "You've gotta break free of that glue! Hurry! Go!" He pumped his fist. "_Smash that horn!_"

Captain's Soul Drive activated, and his eyes enflamed. Now empowered, Captain took his beam saber and stabbed it into the glue, burning it away. The force of the heat held back the Swan's foot, and blew away Zapper and the missile. Now free, Captain rocketed up and sliced the Control Horn in two, knocking it away. The Swan's eyes returned to her natural blue color, signifying her freedom.

"All right!" Shute cheered, "He did it!"

A little bit away, Zero regarded the explosion indifferently. "Hmph. A _tolerantly _elegant blow- But it doesn't compare to mine." Swinging his blade, he chanted, "Now is the time, release your power! _Super Magical Violet Tornado!_"

His body glowing and another rune circle appearing, Zero unleashed a powerful blast of winds, laced with purple rose petals.

"Amazing!" Shute breathed as he and Sayla watched the storm from the safety of the force field.

The maelstrom was so powerful that it caught the entire Dark Axis force, blowing them away.

"I thought," Grappler yelled as he and Zapper flailed about in the wind, "We were _winning!_"

Then something caught Zapper's eye as it drifted right in front of the pair. "I wonder who's missile _that _is."

"…That'd be mine."

BOOM!

Unnoticed by the Swan-boat, the Dark Axis forces were blown back through the Zakurello Gate.

"They're gone… Well done, Winged Knight!" Captain applauded, deactivating his beam saber.

Zero didn't seem to hear him.

"The moment seized…" He intoned, "The threat has eased."

-z-

Later on, the four of them returned to the field. The sun was setting by the time they arrived.

"I'm glad to see that you are unharmed, milady," Zero said, kneeling before Sayla. "Your resemblance to my princess is striking. I sense a bond of fate between us. It would bring me the greatest joy if our paths were to cross again some day."

Shute rolled his eyes. Who would fall such a cheesy line? Not Sayal…right?

"I believe these are yours." Zero held out his hand and snapped his fingers. There was a puff of smoke and Sayla's basket and parasol appeared.

_Now _Shute was impressed. "Wow… He's some kind of magician…" He murmured to Captain.

"Thank you," Sayla said, "And here's a little present from _me_."

Sayla opened up her basket, and to Shute's shock, handed Zero the cake!

"I am deeply touched by my generosity, milady," Zero said, backing away. "And I will treasure this till we meet again."

Sayla watched dreamily as the knight flew off into the sunset. She still wasn't sure what had happened today, but decided she didn't need to know. Shute, Captain, and Zero seemed able enough to handle it. And if you couldn't trust your friends, who could you just?

"Uhh, Sayla? Is there any left for me?" Shute asked, coming around. He looked inside the basket.

Empty.

"Hey, my cake!" Shute yelled, and shook an angry fist at Zero. "You're not getting away with this! Come back and fight like a man!"

Captain stared at the setting sun.

…_The Lacroix Gundam..._

Would they meet again?


	5. Attack the Enemy Musai!

Chapter 4: Attack the Enemy _Musai!_

As anyone familiar with the military will tell you, the most important aspect of writing a mission report is to take credit. Or, in the case of failure, assign blame.

"When you tried to blast that Gundam, you're stupid stunt almost blasted me at the same time!" Zapper roared at Grappler, "I liked to get rid of _you!_"

Grappler sneered and looked away. "Bad enough I didn't destroy that Gundam," He muttered, "But worse, I didn't dispose of an even bigger nuisance…"

"_Shut your mouth!_" Zapper snapped, "You irk me to no end! This invasion operation was assigned to me first, then you _moonwalked _in here and…"

Zapper trailed off when a pair of fannels hovered by.

"Oh, _boys…_" the Commander said coldly.

The two officers stood to attention at the sound of the Commander's voice.

"Sorry, Commander!" Grappler said, "We were just having a simple little-"

"Enough," the Commander interrupted, "Why has the Knight Gundam appeared? You two fools are aware that there are now _two_ Gundams patrolling Neotopia now, right?" His hologram appeared on the bridge's door. "And just what is your strategy to neutralize those pests?"

"Er, ah, those are excellent questions, sir," Zapper babbled nervously, "Many years ago, in a kingdom called Lacroa…"

"_Silence!_" The Commander exploded, "_Two Gundams!_ It would be disastrous to our cause if they were to unite their strength."

"Speaking of uniting," Grappler said in a low voice, "Could Zapper be re-assigned to, let's say, the _Siberian _solar system?"

Zapper ignored his partner and grumbled, "The reason those Gundams are so troublesome is that they don't have Control Horns. I was thinking-"

"Stop thinking!" The Commander hissed, "Just bring them here to our main base!"

_Ooh, the base._ The two officers thought, and glanced at the massive, horned sphere that served as the Dark Axis' headquarters. From the distance it looked vaguely like a shadowy devil's head, with horns and a goatee.

"I know just what I'll do Commander," Grappler said, looking back up at his superior. "As usual, I've got a brilliant idea."

Zapper rolled his eyes. "_You've _got an idea? You didn't seem to be doing too much thinking when you were _blasted away with your stupid missiles!_"

"You seem to have forgotten that the root of the problem was that you gotten yourself planted right into the ground!" Grappler shot back.

The two were soon at each other's figurative throats again.

"Say it to my face!" Zapper snarled, his eye glowing.

Grappler's eye glowed as well. "All because of your _stupidity…_"

The fannels hovered by again, and Zapper and Grappler snapped to attention.

"Commander! This time we'll come with a plan _together, _to make sure we succeed!" Zapper said quickly, and shot a meaningful look at the blue robot. "Right, Grappler?"

Grappler nodded quickly, refusing to take his eye off the fannels. "You got it!"

The two invaders quickly marched off, arm in arm.

"All right, just follow my lead, _Zipper_…" Grappler whispered.

"Oh, shut up!" Zapper hissed, feeling the fannel's gunpoint still on him.

-z-

Captain, in mobile citizen mood, stood in Shute's workshop, waiting for the boy to come out. His friend had told him that he had a new invention he wanted to show off, and had disappeared to get it.

Then he heard Keiko's voice. "I don't know how you do it, Captain," She said, "You've been so busy this week! That forest fire you put out, those boaters you rescued, you're _amazing!_"

"Well, ma'am," Captain replied, "I _am _here to serve and protect."

"I was just wondering, do you think today you might have time to rescue Shute from his math homework?"

Captain wasn't sure how to reply to that, though he did try. "Oh, well, I, um… Actually, ma'am…"

Shute poked his out from where he had been hiding in the loft. "C'mon, Captain!" He laughed, "That wasn't my mom, that was me talking through this voice-changer I invented."

Shute pulled out a strange device that looked like a cross between a microphone and tiny speaker. He spoke into it, but the phrase that came out sounded like Keiko. "How do you do it, Captain?"

"Naturally, I was aware of that," Captain explained, "But the voiceprint was a match, so I responded. Shute, you're inventions are quite impressive."

Shute grinned, pocketed the changer, and put on his skates. "Just wait, I'll show you a bunch even more amazing stuff!"

Then, Shute did something that made Captain panic. He jumped!

"Oh no!" Captain cried, and ran to catch him.

But Shute just pressed a button on his PDA, and his skates attached themselves to the metal ladder. He calmly rolled down to the floor.

Hopping off, Shute asked, "Well, whaddya think? Cool, huh? I made my blades electromagnetic to skate on walls."

Then Captain's helmet began to beep as a communication came in.

"Attention, Captain Gundam!" A man's voice yelled from the transmitter, "This is SDG Base! The Dark Axis has been detected! Mobilize at once!"

"Roger!" Captain blasted off through the hatch. One trip through the Re-equip Ring later, he rocketed off in defender mode, with Shute skating close behind.

-z-

At the warehouse district, the Zako Soldiers were busy shooting at…everything. But they seemed more concerned with just firing into the air than actually hitting anything.

"_Aarrghh, _C'mon! In evil's name, what's keeping them?" Zapper growled, firing his own guns. "Why haven't those Gundams shown up yet? Are you sure this'll work!"

"Well, it _is _more practical than wandering around looking all over for them." Grappler responded. In his hand he held some kind of yellow bazooka.

"I just think you like to shoot at stuff, _you freak!_" Zapper grumbled.

Grappler smirked at the irony of the statement. He was the only one _not _shooting. "It's what I do."

"You said this plan for catching them was foolproof," Zapper went on, "But I have a hard time believing- Whoa!"

Zapper was cut off as Captain landed right next to him, knocking him away.

"Gundam!" Grappler exclaimed, and aimed his bazooka. "We're so glad you could make it!"

Zapper stood up, firing his guns aimlessly. "You're gonna pay for that! I wasn't through yet!"

The Zakos danced about trying to avoid the bullets, while Captain and Grappler hid behind their shields.

"Hey!" Grappler yelled, "Gear-head, wouldja stop shooting!"

"Make up your mind- Oof!" Zapper was once again knocked away, this time by Zero's arrival.

Grappler smirked. "Excellent. So the Gundam gang's all here." Pointing, he yelled, "_Attack!_"

Zako Soldiers poured out from every alley and hiding space, quickly surrounding the Gundams.

"Flatten those two into a petroleum pizza!" Grappler ordered.

The Zakos converged on the Gundams, having the same effect an army of turtles would have on a gorilla.

"Poor simpleton," Zero laughed, brushing any Zako that got close enough aside with his sword. "Did they truly believe that their strategy could hinder the elegance of my magnificent swordsmanship?"

"Allow me to help!" Captain said, jumping in front of Zero.

"Interfere not!" Zero snapped.

"I'd prefer avoiding physical contact," Captain commented, punching and kicking Zakos away. "But their actions conflict with maintaining the peace!"

As the fight went on, Captain realized that simply knocking them away wouldn't work. The Zakos would just get back up and come back again.

"Zero, we need to combine our efforts!" Captain cried.

"Combine? That would be ineffective!" Zero snorted disdainfully, "Your mission is insignificant next to _mine!_"

"But, Zero…"

Grappler watched the two interact and was quite pleased with what he saw.

"Delightful. The two Gundams don't see eye-to-eye, what good news." He chuckled.

After Zero kicked away another Zako, Grappler pointed his bazooka at the Gundam pair.

"Rubber Bazooka Beam, fire!" He yelled, and pulled the trigger.

A white beam emitted from the barrel, striking Captain and Zero dead on. When the light subsided, the two were encased in a sticky ball of rubbery glue, along with a few Zakos that were a little two close at the time.

"This does _not _compute…" Captain muttered, struggling.

"I-I can't move a muscle!" Zero gasped.

"Ha. The mastermind strikes again." Grappler grinned.

"Why you little sneak!" Zapper said, and snatched the Rubber Bazooka away.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Grappler demanded.

Zapper ignored him, inspecting the Bazooka. "Where have you been hiding _this?_ You've been holding out on my, haven't you?"

Smirking, Zapper jammed the barrel right in Grappler's face.

"Hey, come on, make nice…" Grappler said, and was about to tell Zapper about the Bazooka's hair trigger when the inevitable happened.

In a flash, the two invaders were caught in their own rubber ball.

Grappler felt something inside go pop. "Grrr… _Stooge! _Look what you've done! Didn't I warn you!"

Zapper pulled his head as fair Grappler's as possible. "Bleh. This feels gross. Get me outta here!"

"Oh, like I'm thrilled to be stuck with you," Grappler muttered. Aloud, he ordered, "Zako Soldiers, take us to the ship and we'll return to the base with the Gundams."

"Yes sir, zako!" The little green robots saluted.

"Zakurello Gate, open!"

As the portal appeared in the sky, the Zakos carried both Gundams and officers to the _Komusai_.

"Mwahaha, you Gundams are now our prisoners!" Zapper laughed evilly, "You fate is in our hands!"

Very impressive, Zapper," Grappler snarked, "Considering the way _we _look."

"Who asked _you?_"

Shute stared at the proceedings from the relative safety of a recycle bin. _The Captain and Zero have been captured!_

With the Gundams held in a large metal claw protruding from the ship, the _Komusai _lifted off. Shute looked around for inspiration to an idea. He quickly saw a set of large pipes with a ramp-like slope.

_Hey… _Shute thought, _It's a long shot, but it just might work!_

Skating on the pipes, Shute yelled into his PDA, "C'mon jet blades, do your stuff!"

With the added boost from the rocket boosters, Shute flew up high into the air, landing on the _Komusai_.

"Magan-rollers, on!" Shute commanded, and the new magnets kicked in, attaching him to the ship's hull.

"Hang in there, you two," Shute whispered, bracing himself against one of the _Komusai_'s tailfins. "I'm with you all the way!"

The _Komusai _lifted off, flying towards the Zakurello Gate.

"What skullduggery!" Zero cursed, "They're waylaying us to the land of the Dark Axis!"

"What!" Captain cried, "The Dark Axis!"

The _Komusai _vanished into the portal…

-z-

"Chief Haro, Captain's locator beacon has ceased transmitting, sir!" A technician yelled.

"Time-space distortion detected at his last known location, sir!" Another cried.

Chief Haro clenched his fist. "A dimensional transport gate… May luck fly with you, Captain."

-z-

The _Komusai _flew down a tunnel of endless, multicolored stars. Shute stared as he and the ship became transparent and immaterial.

"Wow… What's going on?" Shute asked aloud as he looked at, or rather, _through _his hand.

There was a bright light, and when it faded, Shute found himself in a land of nightmares, or the next best thing. What else would you call the rocky, volcanic region the Dark Axis resided in? The sight of the _Magnamusai_, with its head-like cabins, spikes and cannons, did not help the overall appearance.

"What _is _that?" Shute wondered, staring at the ship. "I've never seen anything like it!"

"There's…the enemy's mother ship!" Captain gasped, staring at the large vessel.

"That's the Dark Axis' combat carrier," Zero explained sadly, "_Magnamusai._"

"Zakurello, close the gate!" Grappler Gouf ordered.

"_Roger, rello._" A deep, throaty voice growled from behind Shute. Looking behind him, the boy saw the large, jaw-like gate the smaller ship had exited. Meanwhile, the Gundams were placed in a special claw mechanism on the _Magnamusai _proper.

"Attention evil ones!" Captain called out, "I demand you release us immediately!"

"Your abruptness offends me," Zero said disgustedly, "How did such fortune befall me that I find myself saddle with such a crass Gundam as you?"

"Now-now-now!" Zapper laughed horribly, "Be good little bots and just stay put, Gundams!"

"Let's get this rubber dissolved so I can get unstuck from you," Grappler muttered, "Being this close is really making me sick."

"Oh, yeah?" Zapper glared. "Well, sitting with you is giving me some kind of rash."

The two officers, unable to wait for a pick-me-up, bounced their ball away.

After they were gone, Captain tried to break the claw with his head-guns. Unfortunately, the bullets had no effect on the metal.

"It's useless. It's armor is too thick." Captain said.

"Once again will I be unable to complete my mission." Zero sighed sadly.

Captain turned his head towards Zero. "Zero, I…"

"Silence!" Zero hissed, and nodded at something in the distance. Following his gaze, Captain saw a massive, dark purple sphere with three horns, surrounded by dark clouds.

Captain gasped. "That's the-"

"-Main base for the Dark Axis," Zero affirmed, "Countless comrades have been taken there, but none have returned. Perhaps they mean for us to suffer the same fate." His eyes hardened. "_I _shall remain valiant to the very end!"

Captain looked back at Zero. "Zero…your speech is different than mine. Where are you from?"

From what he understood, he knew that Zero was from a place called Lacroa…but where was that?

Zero glanced at Captain and sighed. "In your way of speaking, I am from an alternate dimension. Once, this world we are now in was my homeland: The beautiful kingdom of Lacroa."

"It was?" Captain asked.

Zero nodded, closing his eyes. "It was destroyed by the Dark Axis." He said, his voice laced with bitter sadness.

"Once, I had a homeland that my courageous comrades and I were sworn to protect," Zero said, remembering those happy days. In his mind, he pictured a field of violet roses basking in the warm sun. "Lacroa was happy, peaceful land. It was a place to be proud of, and my comrades and I would do anything to defend it." Zero's mental pictured turned sour as he remembered when the Dark Axis base first appeared in the sky. "But in the end, it would seem that evil has triumphed. I was unable to protect anything at all." Zero's field of flowers turned to stone before exploding in a volcanic eruption.

Captain saw traces of water appearing on the edge of Zero's eyes. "Zero?" Was the Knight Gundam…crying?

"…No!" Zero growled, "My emotions will _not _weaken my resolve!"

-z-

_Okay, _Shute thought, _The first thing I gotta do, is get a fix onto where Captain and Zero are._

Shute skated around the _Magnamusai_ from where the _Komusai _had docked, and hid himself when he heard Grappler's voice.

"What in evil's name is taking that blasted Zako Soldier so long?"

Peeking out, Shute saw that the two invaders were still encased in rubber.

"That solvent gas should have been here eons ago, for crying out loud!" Zapper groaned.

A Zako Soldier rushed up with a spray can, filled with the aforementioned solvent, obviously. Shute watched as they applied it, thinning the rubber out.

"…Solvent!" Shute realized, "I gotta get some to free Zero and Captain!"

Once enough solvent had been applied, the Dark Axis officers broke free of their rubbery prison.

"Don't you _ever_ use that gun again!" Zapper growled menacingly.

"Gottaborrowthisthanks!" Shute yelled quickly as he skated past, grabbing the solvent out of the stunned Zako's arms.

"What the- Why, you little- _Hey!_" Zapper blustered, caught off-guard.

"What's a human doing here!" Grappler yelled. Collecting himself, he said, "A filthy human aboard the _Musai? _Send out the Bagubagu!"

The canisters were out, and a swarm was quickly on Shute's tail.

"Zako Soldiers, don't let that pathetic organic life form get away!" Zapper ordered.

Shute heard the buzz of robotic insects from behind, and saw a troop of Zakos coming up front. He kept going. The small robots up front weren't even _half _as dangerous as the tiny ones behind.

"Hot stuff, coming through!" Shute yelled as he weaved between the Zakos. After getting through a crowd of them he head towards a wall.

"Magna-rollers on!" he yelled, activating his skate's magnets and rolling up to another level. There, he found another squad of Zakos waiting for him.

"Sheesh… So, how many of you are there?" Shute groaned, and skated around them. As the Zakos chased him, he skated up towards the edge…going right over it! The Zakos stopped just in time to avoid the same fate…except for one. As his comrades shook their heads, the poor, unlucky Zako went down. There was a long cry of "Zako" followed by a soft thud.

Cautiously, one Zako looked over the edge for any sign of Shute.

"That human is a gonna!" He reported. Jeers filled the air.

"Oh well!"

"Happy trails!"

"See you next fall!"

"Hope you wore your anti-gravity wear!"

On one side of the ship, Shute shook his head with relief.

"Good thing I invented my magna-rollers," Shute sighed, "Or they'd be right!" He then noticed a yellow dot in the distance. "Hey! That rubber ball is the Captain and Zero!"

"There he is!"

Zapper Zaku had found him, and so had the Bagubagu.

"Oh man, those Bagubagu are bad!" Shute gulped as the insects closed in, "If I get stung by those things, I could wind up as a cement birdbath! What am I gonna do?" Bing! On went the bulb of inspiration. "Hey, I know!" Shute pulled out his PDA. "Magna-rollers off!"

Shute fell just in time to avoid being stung, and landed on the deck.

"Stop trying to escape, human boy!" Zapper snarled, giving chase.

But Shute was too quick for him, and leapt at the crane holding the Gundams.

"Magna-rollers on!"

Shute landed on the crane's head and skated down to where Captain and Zero were.

-z-

There was the sound of wheels on metal…

"What?" Captain looked up. "Look, it's Shute!"

"Guys, it's me!" Shute greeted, and began to spray on the solvent.

"Shute, how on Earth did _you_ get here?" Captain asked, "Why did you come?"

"Well, _getting _here was no big deal," Shute answered, "And besides! You guys looked so silly in this rubber ball that I nabbed this solvent to set you free."

Zero was deeply impressed. Was this the same boy he had scolded mere days ago? His eyes shimmered at the boy's prowess.

Shute began to laugh, but trailed as he heard a buzzing noise.

The Bagubagu!

Panicking, Shute leaned back suddenly to avoid being stung as the swarm swooped by, but moved to quickly for magnets to keep a hold of the metal. With a scream, he fell off.

"_Shute!_" Captain cried out, and broke free of the rubber, diving after his friend. "Hang on, Shute!"

-z-

_Dying, _Shute thought. His eyes were shut and his body was limp as he plummeted head-first to his death. _I thought I could be a hero, like the Captain, but I really messed up._

Shute felt something grab his arms and opened his eyes.

"Captain!" He cried, "You were safe, why did you jump?"

"I will do anything I can to protect my friend!" Captain answered, and activated his backpack's boosters, righting themselves. He then tried to rocket towards a safe platform. However, they just barely missed landing on a floating rock and resumed their fall, this time heads-up, when a third party intervened.

"I must say," Zero said jovially, "You lunatics are cut from the same cloth!"

"Zero!"

The Knight Gundam deposited the Neotopians on another rock.

"Thanks, Zero!" Shute said, relieved to be on solid ground. "That was a great catch!"

Zero nodded. "Shute, Captain. I daresay, your courage and true selflessness has moved the heart of the Winged Knight. You two have proven yourselves to be citizens of character, and it would be my honor if you assisted me, an elegant knight, in my challenge. Come, let us begin our counterattack!"

"Right!" Shute and Captain cheered.

With Zero carrying, the three of them hopped from floating rock to floating rock, ascending to the _Magnamusai_.

"Up, up, and away!" They chorused.

-z-

"_Darn _those good guys," Zapper growled, peering down at where the Gundams had fallen. "Of all the places they could choose to fall, they had to pick here!" He could barely see past all of the smog and steam.

Grappler adjusted his Rubber Bazooka. "Those Gundams could have survived." He said darkly.

Zapper grunted. "I suppose next you'll say you want to go and retrieve them."

"What would the Commander do?" Grappler asked meaningfully.

_Right now or to _us _if they _did _survive? _Zapper thought. Scowling, he yelled, "Bring this ship about, and hurry!

The _Magnamusai_'s engines churned to life, and the ship took on a new course.

"I've had enough of them!" Zapper snarled, "If those Gundams try anything sneaky I'm blasting them with our main cannon!"

-z-

"What do you have in mind, Zero?" Captain asked as the three of them moved closer to the _Magnamusai_.

"First, we'll need to commandeer the _Musai_," Zero explained, "Then, open the gate and return to your world."

"Cool!" Shute piped up.

The Gundams deposited Shute on the ship's back, and then made their way to the deck.

"Ready?" Zero asked.

Captain nodded. "Let's go!"

-z-

Zapper was busy telling the Zakos that it was a _search party_, not a picnic, when the two Gundams hopped up on the deck.

"Well, the Gundams." Zapper hissed. This would save them the trouble of going on the search _or _the picnic.

"Allow me to welcome you back to our ship." Grappler said, aiming his Bazooka.

"Ah, we shan't allow that again, now shall we?" Zero said, and knocked the Bazooka away with his sword. The gun was soon a speck in the distance.

"…Drat. That boils my oil." Grappler muttered.

Captain landed a series of punches on Zapper, kicking him into the wall. Meanwhile, with a cry of "_En guard!_" Zero slashed his sword at Grappler, who jumped away next to his partner.

Grappler helped Zapper up. "Looks like you two…"

"…Became best buddies pretty darn quick!" Zapper sneered, steadying himself.

"Evil-doers like you will never understand what goodness can create." Captain stated.

Zero nodded. "Yes, like the bonds of friendship, forged in battle!"

-z-

The Zakurello Gate's platform was tethered to the _Magnamusai _by two long cables, cables wide as a sidewalk. That said, they made an excellent bridge for Shute to use as he skated towards the Gate.

_While the Gundams are keeping those creeps busy, _Shute thought, _I'd better open that gate! _The Gate got bigger and bigger. _Almost there!_

-z-

Zero swung his sword. Captain punched. And the Dark Axis officers were nailed against the wall. Again.

"That should do it." Captain decided, "Shute should have arrived at the Gate by now."

Zero nodded, and said to the invaders in a mocking voice, "'Tis been jolly god fun, but 'tis time for us to move on!"

Zero grabbed Captain, and the two jumped to the top of the _Musai._

"Zako Soldiers, go get those Gundams, they're getting dirty footprints all over our ship!" Grappler ordered, trying to ignore the little stars going around his head.

The Zakos charged at the Gundams, but were easily bashed aside.

"You bother me!" Zero sniffed.

-z-

Meanwhile, Shute was finding out that the Zakurello Gate was as uncooperative as the rest of the Dark Axis.

"Aw, c'mon," Shute pleaded, "Pretty please? Open the dimensional gate, huh?"

"_Zakurello told not obey order of people,_" The Gate boomed softly, "_Zakurello trouble could get in, zakurello._"

"No trouble could…get…Arrggh!" Shute stamped his feet and waved arms in frustration. "_Just open!_"

-z-

"Shute just waved his arms!" Zero noted, "It must be a signal for us!"

"I believe you're right, Zero." Captain agreed.

"Then we shall take our leave!" Zero said, grabbing Captain. "And _away!_"

The Gundams, using their respective powers of thrust, began to fly towards the Zakurello Gate, using floating rocks as stepping stones.

"There they are!" Zapper growled, pointing at the escapees. "Hard turn to the left!"

As the _Magnamusai _ pointed itself at the Gundams, he ordered, "Main cannon aim and _fire!_"

"_Wait!_" Grappler yelled, "If you fire the cannon in that direction, you'll hit the Zakurello Gate too, _idiot!_"

Too late. The cannon were already firing twin blasts at the Gundams and Gate.

-z-

When the Gundams arrived, they found Shute just staring up at the portal.

"Hey, Shute!" Captain cried, getting his attention.

"Will the gate not open?" Zero asked, noting the lack of activity.

Shute looked at them sadly. "I've tried asking it really nice and everything, but it just won't budge!"

Then Shute's eyes widened as he took special focus behind the Gundams.

"Shute, what is it?" Captain asked, turning to look. He saw the familiar blasts coming and stood in front of Zero. "I can handle this!"

Shute grinned. "Yeah, Captain! Go for it!" He remembered the last time Captain and _Magnamusai_'s cannons fought, and Captain had only become stronger since then.

Captain's Soul Drive, empowered by Shute's faith, ignited. His eyes enflamed and his fist glowed golden.

Zero, not to leave a friend to take such a heavy task on alone, raised his sword and cast a spell. "_Mana! By your pact with the Winged Knight, be my shield! Super Magical I-Field!_"

The blue force field Zero summon, combined with Captain's punch, was more than enough to protect the three of them from the _Magnamusai_'s cannonfire.

But the rest of the rocky platform crumbled away. As all of Gundams, human, and gate fell, Shute felt something in his pocket. It was his voice changer!

"Hey, wait a second!" Shute realized.

…_the voiceprint was a match, so I responded…_

Shute spoke through the changer, and in Zapper's voice said, "Hey, you lunk head of a gate! Open up the gate to Neotopia right now or I'll pull out your teeth!"

The Gate panicked. It couldn't see Zapper anywhere, but it was _not _going to argue when Zapper was in one of those moods.

"_Za-zakurello gate right now open up! Rello!_" Zakurello stammered, and energized.

"It worked! Yeah!" Shute whooped.

The Dark Axis invaders watched in flabbergasted fury as the Gundams and human vanished into the Gate, Shute's triumphant cheer echoing into the dark sky.

"_Curse those Gundams!_" Zapper howled.

"Next time we'll send you on a one-way trip to the Dark Axis," Grappler swore to the enemy, "You'll see!"

-z-

The Zakurello Gate opened up above Neotopia Tower, the main hub for the city.

High…_high_…above.

"And we're back!" Shute yelled as they fell. "This isn't really what I expected!" He should have been more specific, that's for sure.

"This might sound odd, coming from a swashbuckler like myself," Zero commented dryly, "But, haven't we been in this situation before?"

"Yeah," Shute replied, taking hold of Zero. "_Déjà vu._"

"Unfortunately, we're too high up for my flight power to work," The Knight admitted unhappily.

"_What?_" Shute gasped. After all that, they were going to die anyway?

Captain, however, was focused on the hand-shaped cloud directly beneath them.

"Fear not," He assured, "It's okay."

"I hope you know what you're talking about, Captain- Oof!" Shute cried as they landed on the cloud with a soft thud.

…_On _the cloud?

"Wha…what happened?" Shute, dazed, looked around. Yup, he was sitting on a cloud, all right. "Hey, guys, how come we're sitting on a cloud instead of being flattened out like a pizza?"

"_Welcome to the base of SDG._" A man's voice over an electronic speaker announced.

Whirling around, Shute saw a platform held by a robotic hand rise up out of the cloud.

"Ah, I see," Zero remarked, giving the 'cloud' a tap with his foot. "It appears this cloud has been fashioned by hand, rather than nature."

"Chief Haro," Captain began, "I have returned from the alternate dimension with my two allies."

"_Well done. You certainly had us concerned, Captain. Seeing you return so suddenly bursting out of the blue did surprise us. What a thrilling conclusion to your escapades. And you brought these two to boot!_

"_Shute, I've heard all about your exploits from the Captain,_" Shute scratched his head in embarrassment. "_Now that you're safely returned from another dimension, I'd like to invite all of you into our base._"

Shute grinned and turned to Zero. "Come with us, Zero. C'mon!"

"My apologies," Zero replied, backing away. "But I am not fond of crowds."

To Shute and Captain's shock, the Knight Gundam jumped off.

"_Zero!_" Shute cried, and ran to the edge. To his relief, he saw that the Winged Knight had landed on a large public airship.

"Fare thee well, my comrades!" Zero laughed, "Let us meet again!"

As they watched the ship fly away, Captain said, "Someday, I hope we can return to that place, and change it back into Zero's beloved Lacroa. Come on, Shute. Allow me to show you around the SDG Base."

Shute nodded. "Cool!"

And the two friends boarded the platform, heading into an adventure of a different kind.


	6. Gundam Force Teamup!

Chapter 5: Gundam Force, Team-up!

Shute laughed in amazement as the lift he and Captain lowered the two of them down onto the SDG's headquarters.

"Oh, man… We're up so high!" Shute gasped.

As they moved through the cloud cover, Shute saw that the entire structure resembled a robotic hand.

"This is awesome!" Shute cried, "It's just as I imagined it in my head!"

The lift stopped on one 'finger', allowing the two friends to get off. Shute looked down at it in wonder.

"This must be the main runway." Shute noted.

There was hum, and Shute saw something very familiar.

"Captain, it's your Re-equip Ring!" Shute cried, and ran up to it.

"That's right, Shute," Captain explained, "It's maintained 24 hours a day, so it can be scrambled at a moment's notice."

Shute cautiously touched it with his hands, and felt the warmth of its electricity. Smiling, he pressed his ear against it, listening to the buzz of its active circuitry.

"This is even better than I pictured it! It's more exciting than Christmas and my birthday all rolled into one!" He exclaimed happily.

As Captain showed Shute around, Shute saw all manner of humans in light-blue uniforms and robots working around. They didn't seem to mind Shute's presence at all, and one lady with short brunette hair actually waved at him!

"I gotta tell you," Shute said, "This base is truly awesome! It has so much cool mecha! And I can't believe something this _huge_ is floating in mid-air!"

"It _isn't _floating." Captain replied.

"Huh?"

"Though we appear to be floating in a cumulous cloud," Captain explained, "Blanc Base- which is what we call our headquarters- is hanging from satellites by ultra-steel suspension cables." He pointed to the center of the base's transparent ceiling, and directed Shute's gaze to the massive tethers attached. "Do you see, Shute?"

Shute gaped. "Hanging? From satellites? _Wow. _That's just mind-blowing! How does it work?"

Shute looked around once again, trying to take it all in.

"It's hard to imagine something like this just is right in our atmosphere, but hidden!" he jabbered excitedly, "I mean, it's constructed on such an incredible scale!"

There was a wrr of machinery, and Shute watched as a large machine connected with the door he and Captain had arrived at.

"What's _that?_" Shute asked.

"Another one of Blanc Base's units," Captain answered, "Each one is constructed to be able to dock as the need arises. The Chief is here."

"The main honcho? The big cheese? The top dog?" Shute asked, taken aback. He had always wondered who the mysterious 'Chief' Captain had referred to was, but never imagined he would meet him so soon!

Captain nodded. "That's right, Shute. The chief officer of the Super Dimensional Guard, also known as the SDG."

There was a beep from the unit's elevator connected, and Captain stood to attention as the door opened. Shute straightened up and took a deep breath.

"Allow me to welcome you to Blanc Base, Shute." The figure who appeared began, "I'm the chief officer of this secret defense organization, the SDG."

Shute stared at Chief Haro in confused wonder. The Chief looked almost unreal in his regal blue uniform with gold epaulets, badges and medals. He wore an aviator's cap on his head, but the real eye catcher was the head itself. It looked just like the one on the Re-equip Ring!

Shute laughed as two parts on the Chief's head's sides flapped.

-z-

"So," The Commander began, his image looking down at Zapper and Grappler. "You brought them here as prisoners then allowed them to escape."

The officers braced themselves for the explosion.

"_What's the meaning of this!_"

The two unlucky ones cringed.

"Further failure will not be tolerated," The Commander continued, "_Do you understand?_"

The duo shuffled uncomfortably, unable to make an articulate response.

"Since neither of you two simpletons seem to be up to the job, I've arranged to bring in additional firepower. This weapon has been extraordinarily effective in combat conditions," The Commander's tone grew smugly sinister. "His record is _nearly perfect._"

Zapper blanched as he put two and two together. "Oh no, sir!"

Grappler had come to the same conclusion and cried, "Surely, Commander, you're not talking about _him?_"

"I'm talking about-" The door beneath the Commander's image opened. "_Destroyer Dom!_"

A large, bulky robot, tall as he was wide, and easily a head taller than Zapper or Grappler, lurched out, pulling some kind of yellow trailer with drill on top, gun turrets on the sides, and cannons sticking out of the barely closed hatch. The entire deck shook with each step he took.

Zapper fell over as ship trembled. "Urg! Couldn't he stay locked up- I mean, kept in reserve until later, sir?"

Another step, another quake.

"He is effective," Grappler conceded, trying to keep his balance." But sometimes he's been known to become a little _too _enthusiastic…?"

Destroyer decided walking was too slow, and _leapt _from his elevated point, landing in front of the duo with a heavy thud.

"Dah!" He grunted.

Grappler backed away as dignified as he could manage. "Y-you keep your distance! I still haven't forgiven you for the last operation, when you fried my motherboard!"

"That goes for me too, you big lugnut!" Zapper blustered furiously, "Don't think I've forgotten what you did to me! My device manager still freezes up on me!"

Destroyer casually pulled out two bazookas, one in each hand, and pointed them at his new partners. Any vestige of bravery or resistance fled them screaming.

"So, do you two have any _further_ objections?" The Commander asked sarcastically.

"Nothing that comes to mind," Zapper replied, smiling tightly.

"I'm looking forward to our mission!" Grappler added, nodding quickly.

In minutes, the _Komusai _launched, carrying the squad down towards the Zakurello Gate. It hung by its cables even since its platform got blown to pieces.

"We will now commence pursuit!" Zapper ordered, "_Open the gate!_"

The ship went in, but only about halfway. The Zakurello Gate made a gagging noise and forced them back out.

"What's wrong with you!" Zapper demanded.

"_Something…not…right…rello…_" The Gate moaned, "_Like…fishbone stuck in back of throat…rello…_"

"Well, clear the passage!" Zapper ordered, and glanced at Destroyer Dom. He was lovingly patting his bazooka. "And hurry! There's no time to waste!"

The _Komusai _went back in the Gate's mouth, this time going all the way through.

"_Don't…feel…good…_" The Gate coughed.

-z-

"We're here today to honor your bravery in support of your comrades-in-arms," Chief Haro told Shute, backed by a line of mobile soldiers. As he spoke, his black eyes light up in yellow. "In recognition of the heroic rescue of our forces from the Dark Axis dimension, I would like to welcome you to the SDG Special Operations Unit, as a Gundam Force Special Member."

"I'm gonna be in the Force?" Shute asked, unable to believe it.

"Yes, my boy," Haro affirmed proudly, "And because you've demonstrated your compatibility together, I've decided to assign you to the same unit as Captain. I feel confident you'll work well as a team, but I must warn you, the Gundam Force missions are extremely dangerous. Knowing that, do you still want to join up with us?"

"Yes, more than ever!" Shute said, "I want to protect Neotopia along with Captain! And I'm willing to do whatever it takes!"

Chief Haro nodded, and held out a black case. Inside it was a badge, like the ones Captain wore on his shoulders.

"This badge marks those belonging to Gundam Force," Haro explained, "Beings who risk their lives to protect peace. "Acceptance of this badge means you'll try your hardest, no matter how difficult it gets."

Shute picked up the badge, gazing at it before looking back up at the Chief.

Haro saluted. "Welcome to the Force! I look forward to serving with you, Special Member Shute."

The festivities were cut off by a klaxon and blaring red lights.

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, Chief!" A mobile soldier cried, running up. "But we've got a major tactical problem! The Dark Axis is appearing at the Dimension Transport Device proving grounds!"

They're _what!_" Haro exclaimed.

Shute looked to Captain for help. "Dimensional Transport Device?"

"It's a top-secret project being conducted at Lab C, an SDG research agency," Captain explained, "It would make it possible for us to invade the alternate dimension where the Dark Axis resides, and bring the fight to them."

"They must have found out about it somehow…" Chief Haro mused, "Captain Gundam and Special Member Shute, this is an emergency Gundam Force mobilization! _Protect the Dimensional Transport Device!_"

"Yes, sir!"

-z-

"_That _was a lousy ride," Zapper grumbled, "Now our transport's stuck in the gate!"

When the Dark Axis arrived in Neotopia, the dimensional tunnel clogged up again, this time while the _Komusai _was halfway _out _of the Gate. When they attempted to free it, the entire squad fell out and landed in an ugly pile on the ground.

He and Grappler looked around. It looked like they were in some kind of desert.

"Where are we?" Grappler asked, "I don't see those Gundams anywhere- what a disaster!"

Zapper stared at a huge structure ahead of them. It looked like the inside of a grandfather clock, with big gears spinning around.

"What the heck is _this?_" He asked.

"I don't know," Grappler replied, taking a good look at it. "But I'll bet you that's what gave the Gate a case of indigestion."

Destroyer Dom exploded from the bottom of the pile, sending Zakos and his partners everywhere.

"_Target acquired!_" He yelled, and charged at the structure, bazookas in hand.

"That's _so _typical of him," Zapper groaned, "We haven't even checked out what the thing _is_, but this idiot is ready to run right over there and destroy it!"

"If we don't go too, we're gonna look like cowards." Grappler said bitterly.

Zapper sighed. "Okay, well, here's an idea. Maybe if we make a big enough mess, the Gundams will come along to investigate," Zapper chuckled, "It's a brilliant idea, I'm glad I thought it up. All right, Zako legion, time for a little mayhem!"

The Zakos, having picked themselves up, cheered, waving their weapons in the air. Then Captain rocketed down from above, blocking their path to the structure.

"That's far enough, Dark Axis!" He ordered.

"Oh, _that _worked!" Zapper growled, slapping his forehead.

"I won't let you criminals have your way!" Captain stated firmly, as Shute landed someplace behind in a Ball-shaped helicopter.

"Thanks for coming by so promptly!" Zapper snarled, moving forward. "As long as you're here, we'd thought we'd take the opportunity to pay you back for that disappearing act you pulled on our ship!"

Zapper halted as a manhole cover on the metal pathway to the machine popped out of its place.

"Can't get a dang thing done bein' interrupted all the time…"

From the manhole came young, slim, brown-skinned teen. He looked like someone from the disco era with his platform shoes and bellbottom pants. He wore a green shirt that was one size too small, showing his bellybutton, with the SDG logo printed on the front, as well as white gloves, a sun blocker on the back of his head, and multicolored, multi-lens goggle son his forehead. On his arms were sun panels. His hair was styled in a way that made it look like a log standing on his head.

"Sorry, I don't mean to interrupt your revenge-o-rama," The youth said, "But I was in the middle of an experiment, and now it's ruined!" To Captain, the teen said, "Listen, Captain. I worked like a dog, building this Dimensional Transport Device, and these goons broke it in two minutes flat, so would you ask them to leave? And if that doesn't work, wouldja mind, vaporizin' them'?"

"Don't you threaten _me_, you little runt!" Zapper growled.

Shute tapped Captain and asked, "Captain, who's this dude with the weird haircut and the goggles on his head?"

"That's Dr. Bell Wood," Captain answered, "Head of SDG Lab C. That's research in the Dimensional Transport Device."

"_Doctor?_" Shute couldn't believe it. This guy couldn't that much older than he was!

Bell Wood turned around and regarded the younger boy with a lazy eye. "You must be the new kid, the one they brought in as a _Special _Member of the Gundam Force."

Shute frowned. "Yeah, and I'm not a kid. My name is Shute." There was something in Bell Wood's tone that aggravated him.

Bell Wood walked around the rookie, giving him a disdainful eye. "_Shute_, huh? We'll,_ I_ think I'll still call you 'kid', seein' as how you're brand-new to the Force an' all. So listen, could you do somethin' to protect my Transport Device, _kid?_"

"No one's gonna protect anything, do you hear me?" Zapper yelled, "If this device is so important to you, then it'll be our pleasure to destroy it! And when we're done, you won't have anything left but scrap metal!" Cupping a hand over his mouth, he hollered, "Destroyer Dom, can you hear me? Start blasting that structure to pieces on my command! _Go!_"

BOOM!

Destroyer, from his point on one of the Device's upper levels, laughed horribly as he fired his bazookas off.

"What do we do!" Shute gulped, "This guy's totally insane!"

Destroyer kept firing, launching shells and missiles all over the place. From the relative safety of their distance, Zapper and the rest cheered him on. Destroyer Dom _was _effective…provided there was enough space between you and him.

"That-a-boy, Dom!" Zapper crowed, "And while you're at it, take out these Gundam goofballs as well!"

"Target acquired!" Destroyer stated, and aimed at Captain and Shute. The two were forced to bail out as more shots were fired.

"That's it, Dom!" Zapper laughed, "Let him have it! Fire at will!"

Zapper stopped laughing when one of the shells hit him and the squad.

"Let's get out of here!" Bell Wood yelled, running for shelter.

"Sounds like a plan!" Shute said, following after him.

Destroyer hopped down from his perch, and aimed at the humans.

"I must intervene!" Captain yelled, and rammed into the invader, causing him to fire at a smaller structure nearby.

"Thank you!" Shute called over his shoulder.

"You might wanna disarm that dude!" Bell Wood suggested.

Unfortunately, the tower began to fall, and Bell Wood was right underneath it. His skinny legs gave out in fear, and that would have been the end of him if Shute didn't shove him away from behind. But now the tower was going to hit him! Shute didn't have time to escape, and cringed.

"_Triangle shelter!_" An elegant voice yelled.

A force field appeared over Shute, causing the tower to split in two as it hit.

"What the…" Bell Wood groaned, getting up from he had landed. Shute had saved him at the cost of his own life, hadn't he?

"What? What happened?" Shute asked, looking up. In the sky he saw Zero, sword and shield in hand.

"I cannot stand by when my compatriot is outnumbered!" the Winged Knight said.

"Don't worry, big mouth," Grappler growled, coming up from behind Captain. "Your turn is coming!"

Grappler leapt at Captain, his claw ready, but the mobile defender easily caught him and threw him in front, using him as shield against another of Destroyer's shells. Captain then leapt at Destroyer, stepping on his head and using the elevation to blast a Zako. Upon landing, he and Zero stood back-to-back.

"I had a feeling you'd come." Captain murmured.

"Nothing is more repugnant than a bully who takes advantage of his superior numbers!" Zero said with disdain.

"It's the end of the road, you pitiful piles of pusillanimous paraphernalia!" Zapper yelled, "You have no idea who you're dealing with. _Let's get 'em, boys!_"

He, Grappler, Destroyer and the Zakos charged, and an all-out brawl ensue. Zero and Grappler faced off again, knight sword against invader claw. Zapper and Captain charged at each other, accidentally knocking a poor Zako caught in the middle away. They exchanged punches, dueled with their bladed weapons, and then shot at each other with their arms.

"Target locked," Destroyer said, aiming at Captain, but he and Zapper easily blew past him, still firing. "…Target lost."

"I'm just gonna be here for a sec', don't mind me." Grappler muttered, hotfooting past the larger robot.

Destroyer looked to where his partner had run from, and aimed. "Target locked."

Zero blasted him with fire.

"…Target lost." Destroyer said, now black with soot. He aimed somewhere else. "Target locked."

But then a Zako Soldier hit him in the head. Bell Wood and Shute were using a construction device with giant robotic hands to send Zakos flying.

"Target lost…" Destroyer muttered, just before he lost it. "Cannot…lock…onto targets! " Pointing at his trailer, he yelled, "Gallop, initiate Operation: Wipeout! _Fire on all moving targets!_"

The Gallop's gun's activated, and began to fire at everyone and everything, sending friend and foe alike running.

"What does that lunatic think he's doing!" Zapper screamed as he and Grappler fled the scene.

"Let's go!" Shute yelled as he and Bell Wood took off, "Can't you run any faster!"

"Big talk from you, kid!" Bell Wood gasped, trying to keep up. If anything, he was not athletic. "Mr. Just-Add-Water Gundam Force member!"

"What's _that _suppose to mean, 'just add water'?" Shute shot back, "And don't call me kid, I'm part of the Force!"

One shell exploded a little too close to the young scientist, sending Bell Wood flying with a cry of "_Mommy!_"

Meanwhile, Captain kept trying to get a decent lock on the Gallop with his beam rifle, but was forced to dodge every other second. The Zakos stampeded away, one being blasted off every now and then.

And Destroyer Dom was loving it. "Final Operation!" He guffawed, and the Gallop's gun's stopped. Then, the trunk opened, and a multitude of gatling guns, missile launchers, and other assorted firearms popped out. They all began to fire at once, sending shells, bullets, and missiles everywhere. The Dimensional Transport Device was soon riddled with explosions.

"He's blowing everything up…" Shute murmured, looking from where Bell Wood had landed on him.

"I can't look!" Bell Wood sobbed, his face down on the ground.

"Why?"

"That's a stupid question!" The old boy snapped, getting up. "Because he's blowing up _five years _of my life!"

"Well, it's built strong," Shute said hopefully, "It hasn't collapsed."

"Yeah?"

The two boys looked at it. There were numerous fires, parts were sparking, and now storm clouds were gathering.

"It's about to go!" Bell Wood cried, "I've gotta stop him!"

Destroyer laugh nastily as he faced off against the Gundams. So far, neither of them had caused any real damage to him.

"I can't believe the strength of his firepower…" Captain gasped.

"We must find a way to neutralize him, and soon!" Zero said.

Destroyer pointed his bazooka at them. "This concludes the operation- huh?"

Everyone looked up. A bright ball of yellow/red energy had appeared in the sky, causing everything to go hot and vibrate.

"It's some kind of dimensional portal!" Grappler realized.

"Another weapon?" Captain asked.

"Prepare yourself, my friend!" Zero warned.

"Unusual…" Captain remarked, staring at the sphere. "It feels like the fabric of space is being ripped apart…"

The sphere burst into flames, and out from it came a something made of fire! But as it got closer, they saw it wasn't made of fire, it was some kind of horse rider, covered in flames.

"Now what?" Zapper growled.

"I don't think this guy is bringing any good news…" Grappler muttered.

The two of them dove for the ground as the fiery rider blazed past them. As the flames dissipated, everyone present saw that the white steed was not made of flesh, but looked more like a robot horse instead. It wore red armor, and on its saddle they saw a flaming sword emblem. On it was a samurai, wearing elaborate armor similar to the horse's…or was the horse wearing armor like the samurai?

"Who's _that _guy?" Shute asked.

"Reveal yourself!" Captain ordered.

The rider jumped off his horse, and unsheathed its two katana blades. He had brown eyes against a green screen, emblems like the horse's on his shoulder pads, and a sphere in his chest with the Japanese kanji for 'Baku' stamped on. From it three kanji appeared in the air in front of him; Baku-Netsu-Maru. But what caught Captain's eye was the familiar mouth plate.

"You're a…Gundam?" Captain asked.

The samurai gave a yell and leapt at Captain, but his blades were blocked by Zero, who flew in between them.

"Of course!" Zero realized, "You're a Musha Gundam from the land of Ark!"

"Ha!" The samurai nodded, "Very good!"

"I know Ark," Zero continued, "It's a land that exists on the same planet as my homeland of Lacroa."

"I am Bakunetsumaru!" The samurai exclaimed as an introduction, and while he didn't relax his posture, he stopped trying to carve through Zero's shield.

"Our enemy, the Dark Axis, has amassed it's forces right across the way!" Zero told him, and pointed to where the Zapper, Grappler and the Zakos were watching the proceedings. They fell back in alarm. _Another _Gundam?

"You are simply one more obstacle to be destroyed!" Destroyer yelled, sliding in between the two groups. "_That _is my mission!"

Bakunetsumaru glared. "If you think you can take me on, then fire at will. But be warned: I am lethal when angered."

"Lock on target!" Destroyer ordered the Gallop, "Fire!"

The Gallop's guns fired rapidly, but the new Gundam easily blocked the shells with his swords, and then leapt into the air.

"Whuh?" Destroyer blanched before yelling, "Gallop! Fire full arsenal!"

The Gallop's stockpile of arms unleashed, but Bakunetsumaru easily sliced through the shells as he fell through the blitz. When he landed, they all exploded in Destroyer's face.

Shute pumped his fist. "Go, buddy!"

Bell Wood wasn't so cheerful. "I'm glad he's here, but I'd wish he'd move away from my device!"

Grappler fired his claw from a chain connected to his arm at the Gundam, but Bakunetsumaru easily knocked it aside before kicking him into the air. He then charged at Zapper, who managed to dodge once before being kicked onto Grappler.

Destroyer Dom recovered from the backfire and aimed at Bakunetsumaru. "Prepare for circuit shutdown, little lost samurai!"

Bakunetsumaru barely had time to realize the shell was coming when something jumped between him and certain doom. When the smoke cleared, the samurai saw that it was the first Gundam he saw here, now lying on the ground, one arm blown away.

"You took the blow…" Bakunetsumaru said softly.

"It is…my duty," Captain said, wincing. "I am a Gundam…"

"You were willing to injure yourself to save me…" Bakunetsumaru's eyes hardened, and he glared daggers at Destroyer. "An attack from behind is an act of absolute cowardice! Dark Axis, your villainy can only be atoned through your destruction!"

But Destroyer only laughed. "Gallop, full deployment, re-commencing operation!"

The Gallop folded up its weapons.

"You're prepared to defy _me?_" Bakunetsumaru demanded.

"Target re-acquired and locked on!" Destroyer yelled, and leapt on top of the Gallop. Its door opened up and a giant drill popped out, spinning, and charged at Baknetsumaru.

The samurai's eyes glinted. He swung his swords in two hypnotic circles, before merging them into one. Another Japanese character appeared in the center. He charged through it, his legs becoming a blur.

"_Kenpu!_" He yelled, "_Tenkyo-Ken!_"

He sliced an X into the air, which transformed into a giant fiery cross that flew through the air like a missile. Destroyer was easily knocked off his Gallop, and the following explosion was so powerful that it sent the entire Dark Axis squad flying back through the Gate.

"Temporary retreat!" Zapper yelled before vanishing into the other dimension.

Bakunetsumaru struck a stance as fire danced around him.

"Wow… What power…" Shute whispered, entranced.

Bell Wood stood shell shocked by what had happened. "He's…some kind of samurai…"

Shute then saw Captain try to sit up and rushed to his side. "Captain! Are you okay?"

"Don't worry, Shute," Captain assured, "A little maintenance will fix this scratch. It's only a mecha wound."

"I heard that, brave warrior."

Shute and Captain looked to see Bakunetsumaru stride up.

"You lose an arm and call it nothing but a scratch," He said, "Boldly spoken. You have proven your heroism on the field of combat. Speaking personally, you saved my life, and I thank you."

"Thank you for _your _help, stranger," Captain replied, standing up. "If the Dark Axis is your enemy, then you are my friend."

"If you were to join the Gundam Force and fight with us," Shute added, "It would be like adding a whole regiment to our side!"

Bakunetsumaru regarded Shute. After a moment, he stepped closer. Shute grinned awkwardly as the samurai caressed his cheeks.

"How soft your shell is… No external armor…" Bakunetsumaru murmured, "What is this frail-looking creature?" Stepping away from Shute, he looked around. "And what is this place? I could have sworn that I was in the middle of a battle in my homeland, and the next thing I know I ended up here."

"Zero," Shute whispered to the knight, "Who is this awesome fighter, and where did he come from?"

"He is a warrior-knight from the land of Ark, which is on the same world as my Lacroa," Zero answered, "He says his name is Bakunetsumaru."

Shute looked at the puzzled samurai, who was still mulling over the recent events.

"Baknetsumaru…" He called to the Musha Gundam. When he had the samurai's attention, he said, "I was just made a team member, so there's still all kinds of things I don't understand, but…there's one thing that's pretty clear. With your strength, if you were to join up with Captain and Zero, the three of you together would make the Gundam Force pretty much invincible!"

Before Bakunetsumaru could reply, Bell Wood sidled up next to the boy.

"Listen…Shute," the teen began, "I just wanna say, I'm grateful for everything the team did today…and that includes you. You were a big help in saving my Transport Device, so I want to officially welcome you as a Special member of the Gundam Force."

Shute smiled. That meant a lot. "Thanks, Doctor. I'm glad your work wasn't destroyed…"

There was an ominous rumble. Everyone looked up.

A huge X had been burned into the Device's structure, and its parts had stopped spinning.

The SDG and friends stood where they were, watching in horror.

With a mighty groan, the entire machine fell to pieces- the sound of its destruction outmatched by Bell Wood's hysterical wail.

"_My Dimensional Transport Device!_"

--End Chapter 5--

A/N: The 5th chapter finished, and I commemorate the Book's halfway mark with a special note; SD Gundam Force was actually aired in the US before it was shown in Japan, making it unique among anime. Wish we could say the same for the second season.

Now that all four members of the Gundam Force have emerged, things are only going to get crazier, as the Dark Axis launches wilder schemes for dominance. Please review!


	7. The Blazing Samurai Comes to Neotopia

Chapter 6: The Blazing Samurai Comes to Neotopia.

Bakunetsumaru, having been pulled from his world to Neotopia's while fighting in a war had difficulty adjusting to the city's peace and quiet.

"Where are they! The forces of the Dark Axis, where are they!"

…To put it mildly.

In a park by the ocean, the headstrong samurai was on the warpath, cutting anything in his way. Luckily, your average Neoptopian had the sense to stay away from an irate swordsman, so no one got hurt. However, that only served to anger the Musha Gundam even more, and in his fury he left a trail of sliced off benches, trees, lamps, and swings.

"Talk, blank-faced simpleton!" Bakunetsumaru ordered, pointing his sword at a mobile policeman. "Tell me where they are, or feel my blade! They're near, I can sense them!"

The mobile policeman was too stunned to reply, so another from behind said, "I'm sorry, sir, but you'll have to hand over your weapons. Here in Neotopia, we mobile citizens are not allowed to have-"

"_Are you mad!_" Bakunetsumaru roared, "A warrior surrender his sword! Never!"

While this was going on, a crowd of cautious but curious onlookers had formed. On the other side of the wall of people, Captain, in mobile citizen mode, held Shute up for a better look at the situation.

To the boy's eyes, it did not look good. "This could get ugly…"

"Come, take them from me," Bakunetsumaru sneered at the mobile police, "If you _dare._"

Shute looked at Captain, worried. "Don't you think that maybe we ought to do something, Captain?"

"He is not an easy Gundam to reason with." Captain admitted.

"Hold there! Stop your bellowing!"

Shute looked up. "Zero!"

"You!" Bakunetsumaru glared up at the decorative sail Zero was standing on. "Do not interfere, knight of Lacroa!"

Zero glared back down in disdain. "Call yourself a warrior…_bah_."

Shute groaned. "That's not gonna help…"

"I am a mightier warrior than you!" Bakunetsumaru shot back.

Unfazed, Zero said, "A true warrior knows when to temper his rage with humility and courtesy. _You _are but a guest here, and you must respect their ways. Sheath your sword!"

"_What!_" Bakunetsumaru cried, "With the minions of the Dark Axis all around us?"

Zero looked around. "I see none of them here in this peaceful park."

"Perhaps it is their presence in my own dimension I sense," the Musha Gundam considered, "I must return there at once!"

Zero floated down from his perch and gave the samurai a sad smile. "A task easier said than done, as I well know."

Bakunetsumaru's horse trotted up and rubbed his head against his master's. For a moment, it seemed like the Musha Gundam would calm down.

THUD…THUD…

There were gasps and murmurs. Shute's jaw dropped.

A gigantic robot, built to resemble a beautiful and full-figured woman in a toga marched up, wearing a tiara that looked like Neotopia Tower. In one hand was a platform like a painter's pallet, in the other a brush. On her back was a Ferris wheel.

"I knew it!" Bakunetsumaru yelled, "It's one of them!"

Bakunetsumaru leapt aboard his horse, and with a cry of "Forward, Entengo!" the two were galloping at the giantess with reckless abandon.

"…There he goes again." Zero sighed, and snapped his fingers.

One of Zero's larger rune circles appeared in front. Entengo crashed into it, sending Bakunetsumaru flying.

"I'm sorry," Zero told the horse, "But your master must learn to control his temper."

"Oh boy." Shute sighed, and hopped off Captain's shoulders.

"_Pest!_" Bakunetsumaru yelled, and ran at Zero, swords waving. "You shall taste my blade for that!"

As the Knight Gundam floated away mockingly, Shute leapt between the two.

"Hey, I don't think that thing is what you think it is!" He cried, trying to defuse the situation.

The giantess's 'mouth' opened, and through a speaker it said, "Welcome to Neotopia's new Peace Park. I represent the power of art, to unite people and bring peace to the world."

Shute nodded. "There, see?"

But Bakunetsumaru was nothing if not persistent. "How do we know it's not a ruse, just to put us all off our guard!"

"Calm down, samurai," Zero replied, snapping his fingers. "You need to relax. Stop and smell the flowers."

There was a sparkle of light, and a violet rose sprouted on the tip of Bakunetsumaru's sword, followed by a few more.

"Defile my sacred blade, will you!" The Musha Gundam yelled, and resumed his assault on the knight. Shute quickly tried to calm him down, but the two Gundams only stopped moving when a red rug unrolled between them.

"Be careful!" Bakunetsumaru yelled, "It's a trap!"

"It's a carpet." Shute sighed.

The rug led to the automated billboard for the Park. Next to it, the robot giantess had halted her Ferris wheel and held out her easel/platform in front of one of the cars, and a woman stepped out, carrying a sketchpad.

"Hold it right there!" She called out, "Please don't move, not yet!" She held out her thumb in the universal stance of artists. "Almost done…"

"She and that giant- they're the same!" Bakunetsumaru exclaimed, staring at the woman.

"Yeah, she was the model for the statue." Shute replied.

"You _know _that woman?"

"That's Margaret Gathermoon," Shute explained, "She's our mayor."

"Ma-yor?" Zero asked, confused. Lacroa was a monarchy when the Dark Axis attacked, and as such, its natives had yet to discover the concept of elected officials.

Meanwhile, Mayor Margaret was walking up to them, flanked by two aides- a human man with a monacle in a dark grey uniform with a red shoulder pad on his right, and a GM mobile citizen, painted the same with a shoulder pad and mustache.

"And…finished!" She giggled, adding the final touches to her sketchpad. "I hope you don't mind, but I just _had _to try sketching the three of you. _Voila!_ What do you think?"

She showed them her drawing, and the Gundam Force gaped. It was such an amazing picture- not only stylish, but felt so real that Shute was almost afraid its subjects (Him, Zero, and Bakunetsumaru) would leap off the paper.

"Whoa, cool!" He exclaimed.

"Lovely, milady!" Zero, ever the gentleman, applauded.

Mayor Margaret smiled, and then focused on Bakunetsumaru's sword…point. "Oh, are those flowers for me?" She took the roses and smiled sweetly. "You really shouldn't have."

Bakunetsumaru bowed his head. "My pleasure."

"It was _my _pleasure." Zero put in. Those were _his _roses.

Bakuetsumaru glared at him. "_Your _pleasure!"

"Oh, stop it you two!" the Mayor giggled, and walked between them up to Shute and Captain. "You must be Shute, how do you do?"

Shute stared. "Huh? Y-you know me? Really?" He asked, amazed. The most powerful woman in the city knew him! Wow!

Mayor Margaret nodded. "The Chief's told me all about our new honorary member of the Gundam Force."

Shute blushed as they shook hands. He was famous!

"You and your friends have caused quite a crowd," Mayor Margaret commented, "Try and keep a lower profile from now on, okay?"

"Okay."

Walking past Shute and Captain, she waved the onlookers off.

"They're just shooting a movie, everyone!" She told them, "Now, please clear the area so you don't get in the way of their cameras, all right? Thank you!"

Catching Shute's eye, the mayor winked.

Shute grinned. "A movie- that's quick thinking."

-z-

Bakunetsumaru stared out at the sea, a forlorn expression on his face. But he did not see the ocean…not in his heart. Behind him were the rest of the Gundam Force.

"I know you're homesick," Shute said comfortingly, "But there's plenty you could do here while you're waiting to get back. After all, you're not the only Gundam in the same boat. Isn't that right, Zero?"

Zero nodded. "Yes," He said sadly, "I too am an exile."

"…Even now, Ark is under attack by the Dark Axis," Bakunetsumaru said at last, "I cannot stand helplessly by, I must return at once, and wield my sword in its defense!"

"You can't, the Transport Device…" Shute replied, "Are you forgetting you broke it?"

"You cannot blame me for that!" Bakunetsumaru protested, "How was I expected to know what it was!"

"No one blames you," Captain said, "Still, Dr. Bell says it will be inoperative for some time."

Bakunetsumaru groaned.

"Bakunetsumaru," Shute said, "You can still help to defeat the Dark Axis by helping us! C'mon, join our Gundam Force, whaddya say?"

"I am no sword for hire!" Bakunetsumaru retorted hotly, "I fight only for Ark!"

"Calm yourself, samurai." Zero sighed, and made roses sprout from Entengo's head, much to the robotic horse's surprise. Bakunetsumaru took one look at his steed's new decoration before lunging at Zero.

"Stop doing that!" He yelled, chasing the knight around. "Stand still!"

"Ho-ho!" Zero chuckled, "I thought you only fought for Ark!"

"Fight like a Gundam!"

Shute watched the two run around and sighed. "Oh, brother…"

-z-

No one had noticed Zapper or the Zakos climb into the robot statue's Ferris wheel cars, even when Zapper was forced to take one alone when it became apparent that there were too many Zakos for the entire squad to fit into one.

"Zako, no sign of the Gundam Force, sir, zako-zako." One Zako Soldier reported.

"Phew…that sure is a relief…" Zapper Zaku sighed.

"Zako? Come again, sir? Zako?"

"N-nothing! You're absolutely _sure _the coast is clear!"

"Affirmitave, we're safe, zako," The Zako replied, "A good idea to hide from them in these rotating pleasure-pods, sir. I don't blame you for not wanting to face them again, zako-zako."

As the other Zakos chattered their agreement, Zapper said quickly, "I didn't mean _hiding_, you animated ashcans! I was just waiting to spring my trap!"

Zapper then left his seat and leapt to the statue's tiara.

"Let's see how they handle a fifty-foot woman with a bad temper!" He cackled, and threw a Control Horn onto the statue's forehead.

The Horn crackled to life as it unfolded, and the robotic likeness of Mayor Margaret Gathermoon's eyes turned red. The Ferris wheel spun so fast that Zakos were thrown off it completely.

-z-

Shute had just plucked the last rose off of Entengo when he and the Gundams heard the crash.

"What's that?" Bakunetsumaru asked, his eyes narrowed. "So!"

The Gundam Force stared as the statue hammered the auto-billboard into the earth.

"I sensed there was danger in that statue!" Bakunetsumaru declared.

Captain focused his vision on the statue's head, increasing the magnification enough to see the Control Horn, and the one who placed it.

"Zapper Zaku." He reported.

Shute nodded. "Right." It was time to move.

And Bakunetsumaru thought so too. "Perhaps this 'Zapper Zaku' will know how I can get back to my homeland… Forward, Entengo!"

"Bakunetsumaru!" Captain called after the horse-riding Gundam as his steed galloped off.

"Hey, wait up!" Shute yelled.

"Come on!" Captain said, "He'll need our help!"

Shute pumped his fist at Captain. "Go for it!"

Captain entered the Re-equip Ring and entered defender mode. Now armed, he rocketed towards the scene, with Zero flying close behind, carrying Shute.

-z-

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Zapper called, "Time to meet your doom!"

Down below and far away, Bakunetsumaru rode towards the rampaging giantess.

"Whoever he is," He swore, "I will_ force _him to tell me!"

And with that, he jumped out of Entengo's saddle and onto the Ferris wheel…

"Nice view, huh?" Zapper chuckled to himself when he saw Captain land down ahead of the statue.

"Cease and desist at once!" Captain ordered, "You are endangering public safety!"

"That's the whole idea, Einstein!" Zapper retorted as Zero and Shute landed next to Captain.

"Hey you dummy!" Shute yelled, "Get offa that thing!"

"Ooh, she doesn't like to be called a _thing,_" Zapper taunted, "You've made her vewy angwy!"

The statue glared down at the three heroes and opened its mouth. The speaker inside glowed to life before firing a sound blast at the trio. The Control Horn's manipulation was going even deeper than usual.

"Get back!" Captain yelled, and grabbed Shute as he and Zero dodged the blast.

"Thanks, Captain." Shut grunted, and watched as Zero rolled and dipped in the air to avoid the sound bullets.

Zapper Zaku laughed nastily at the one-sided fight, when a voice from above startled him.

"_You there!_" It was Bakunetsumaru, coming down from where he leapt off the Ferris wheel.

"Uh, I didn't do it!" Zapper said, panicking. "She did!" He jumped to the ground and took off.

"Stop!" the samurai yelled.

"I don't think so!" Zapper shot.

"Stop, I say!"

"No, forget about him!" Shute yelled, "Take the Control Horn out of the statue!"

But the Musha Gundam simply followed after Zapper, ignoring him. Shute groaned. Meanwhile, Zero summoned his shield and sword, had erected a magical barrier to block the sound blasts.

"Targeting…" Captain tried to aim at the Control Horn, but had to keep moving to avoid being hit.

"…Can't get a lock!" He muttered.

Shute looked on with growing feelings of frustration. "All I can do is just stand and watch," He grumbled, "Some honorary Gundam I am…!"

-z-

"Surrender!" Bakunetsumaru yelled, fighting Zapper.

"Give me one good reason, horse boy!" Zapper demanded, his back to the sea.

"I _won't _carve you into scrap metal!" Bakunetsumaru said venomously.

"Hmm, _so_ tempting…"

Then, the _Komusai _floated up behind Zapper, Zakos armed and ready to fire on top.

"But I have a counter-proposal," Zapper snickered, "_We blast you into atoms!_"

The Zakos and _Komusai _fired, sending Bakunetsumaru flying back from the multiple impacts.

-z-

Captain saw the Musha Gundam's plight out of the corner of his eye.

"_Bakunetsumaru!_"

-z-

"There are too many…even for me!" Bakunetsumaru panted, staring up at his assailants.

The Zakos were about to unleash another rain of bullets when a purple beam shot through their line, sending them flying. Confused, the samurai looked to where the beam had come from and saw Captain, his rifle smoking.

"Captain…you saved my life!" Bakunetsumaru cried, "…_Watch out!_"

Unfortunately, with his attention on the Musha Gundam, Captain did not have time to avoid being snatched up by the rampaging statue.

"Captain!" Shute cried in alarm as he and Zero saw what happened.

"I'll save him!" Bakunetsumaru declared.

"Really?" Zapper asked, coming up from behind. "And just who is going to save you!"

Zapper fired his machine and gatling guns at Bakunetsumaru, who blocked the bullets with his swords.

-z-

"Forget about me!" Captain yelled as he struggled in giantess' iron grip, "Look out for yourselves!"

"Captain, hang on!" Shute cried as he tried to think of an idea.

"Shute!"

Shute turned and saw Mayor Margaret run up, followed worriedly by her aides. "Mayor Gathermoon?"

"It isn't safe here, milady!" Zero cried, floating down.

"I came as soon as I heard," Mayor Margaret said, ignoring Zero. "I think I might know how to neutralize that statue."

"We're all ears, ma'am!" Shute said, standing to attention.

"See that platform on its left hand?" She asked, pointing at the giant pallet. "There's a switch there for the loudspeaker!"

"That's it!" Shute realized, "Without that speaker-cannon she's nothing!"

"But how to get at it?" Zero wondered.

Before any more could be said on the subject, the statue glared down at the group and fired.

"Stand back!" Zero yelled, and summoned another magical barrier, blocking the shot.

When the fire ceased, Shute made his move.

"Here goes nothing!" He exclaimed, and ran out and at the statue.

"Shute, come back!" Zero cried, and flew after him.

Mayor Margaret simply nodded, smiling. "That's just what I would expect from a member of Gundam Force." Looks like the rumors about that boy were true.

-z-

As Zero kept dodging the statue's sound blasts, Shute leapt aboard one of the Ferris wheel's cars.

Captain saw this and whispered, "Careful, Shute!"

Carefully, Shute made his way over to the platform, while the statue fired at the Mayor and company again.

"Watch out!" Zero was back in front of her, shield ready.

But then, the statue noticed something. Shute was on her easel! Angry, she began to wave her pallet as hard and fast as she could, which, though it was fortunately not very fast, still was enough to make Shute cling to life on the railings.

"I've always hated this kind of ride!" Shute wailed as he hung on.

-z-

Down and away, Bakunetsumaru continued his fight with Zapper when he saw it, Zero's defense of the Mayor, and especially Shute's courage.

"…I see that there are brave warriors in _this_ dimension too…" He murmured.

"_Not for long!_" Zapper crowed, and charged at the samurai, guns a-blazing.

Bakunetsumaru glared at his attacker, and in one clean stroke, cleaved the ends off of Zapper's guns.

"Someone's gonna have to pay for those, and it won't be me!" Zapper grumbled, glaring at his sliced arms when he found himself at swordpoint.

"_Now_ we will talk." Bakunetsumaru said firmly.

-z-

On the pallet-platform, Shute, slowly and steadily, moved towards the controls.

"Almost…there!" Shute grunted, and then realized something. "She forgot to tell me which one's the switch that shuts it off!"

-z-

The _Komusai _came down onto Bakunetsumaru and Zapper, forcing them to separate. Zapper quickly leapt aboard and fired its cannons.

"You can't escape!" Bakunetsumaru yelled, but was forced to jump back from the cannon fire.

"That's _exactly _what I'm doing!" Zapper sneered, "_You just try and stop me!_"

As the _Komusai _lifted off, Bakunetsumaru whistled. "Here, Entengo!"

Zapper's evil laugh was cut off as the horse-riding samurai was suddenly above them.

"_Kenpu! Tenkyo-Ken!_" Bakunetsumaru cut his flaming X into the air and sent it at the Dark Axis.

"Whoa, let's simmer down- not do anything I'll regret-!" Was all Zapper had time to say when the fiery X cut through them, with Bakunetsumaru now standing on the _Komusai_.

"_Open Zakurello Gate! Mommy!_" Zapper screamed as he and the Zakos were sent flying through the air. The Gate opened, catching the invading robots in its maw.

"What is _that?_" Bakunetsumaru wondered aloud.

"Hurry! Now's your chance! _Follow them!_" Shute yelled.

Bakunetsumaru looked back. "My chance… What do you mean?"

"Go through the gate!" Shute told him, "It can take you home!"

"He's right, Baku'!" Captain yelled, "It's a type of dimensional transport device!"

Bakunetsumaru looked up at the gate, still open. "What… That?"

"You must hurry before it closes!" Zero exclaimed.

Bakunetsumaru needed no more convincing. "Forward, Entengo!"

-z-

Shute, not knowing which switch controlled the loudspeaker, did the most intelligent he could do; He guessed.

"Eeny…meany…miney… Oh, whatever." Shute muttered, and pressed a button.

That did it. The statue's speaker deactivated, leaving it to mutter silent curses.

"Bingo!" Shute sighed, but in doing so he loosened his grip. The statue flung him into the air. "_Whoa!_"

"Zero!" Captain yelled, breaking out of the statue's other hand. "_Catch him!_"

Zero was already in flight. "I'm too far away!" Hecursed.

Bakunetsumaru and Entengo were about to make the jump through the Zakurello Gate when they heard Shute's wail. Looking back, he knew he had a choice. Or rather, it was the kind of choice that wasn't a choice at all. Entengo jumped.

When Shute reached the ground, there was an explosion of dirt.

"Are you all right!" Captain asked as he and Zero arrived.

The dust settled, revealing Entengo, carrying Bakunetsumaru and Shute. The Musha Gundam had the human boy by his shirt.

"You are too reckless for one with such a fragile structure!" Bakunetsumaru scolded Shute.

Shute, a bit dazed from what happened, had not the strength to argue. "…Yes, sir…"

Bakunetsumaru threw Shute to the ground and looked up at the statue's Control Horn. "Now, will you leave this to me?"

Shute nodded, and off Bakunetsumaru went, riding Entengo towards the still rampaging (Though silently rampaging) giantess.

"Up, Entengo!" Bakunetsumaru ordered.

The horse leapt up the statue, using the pallet-platform and Ferris wheel as stepping stones. Once they were high enough, Bakunetsumaru leapt off, and sliced the Control Horn into three pieces. The statue's eyes returned to normal as Bakunetsumaru and Entengo landed.

"Way to go!" Shute cheered.

Off to the side, the _Komusai _tried to fly away as silently as it could. No dice. The statue booted it through the Zakurello Gate.

Shute then realized that the only reason the Gate had remained open was for the ship. Now that it was through…

"_Hurry!_" Shute yelled, "_The Gate's closing!_"

Bakunetsumaru needed no coaxing. Saddling up on Entengo, the two set off, riding up the statue's extended leg and leaping off.

"He may need some help." Shute told the other Gundams.

"I think you're right!" Captain agreed.

"Definitely!" Zero nodded.

As Bakunetsumaru and Entengo went up, Zero summoned another rune circle.

"Way to go, guys!" Shute cheered.

With eyes enflamed, Captain took the rune circle and began to spin, winding up his throw before releasing the circle. Up in the air, Entengo had reached the height of his ascent and was about to fall under gravity's law when the rune circle appeared beneath them, carrying the two Arkens up, up, and away.

Bakunetsumaru looked back and waved to the Gundam Force. "Farewell!"

"You're gonna make it!" Shute cheered, "You're gonna make it! Goodbye!"

Bakunetsumaru looked back at the Gate and paled. It was starting to dissipate.

"Not yet…" He gritted, "_Not yet!_"

Shute clenched his fists. "Come _on…._"

But, it was to be too little too late. The Gate vanished just as Bakunetsumaru and Entengo reached it.

"Oh…" Shute groaned.

Bakunetsumaru looked back at the Gundam Force and thought about what Shute said earlier.

_So be it,_ He decided, _Here I must stay!_

-z-

"If I go astray," Mark sang, strumming his guitar. "Gonna last it till next day…"

Captain, back in citizen mode, exchanged odd looks with Shute as he carried the grill out of the Ray family's garage.

"This is what is called _music?_" The Gundam asked.

"Well, _some _people call it that." Shute grinned.

"Crowds of people at the Peace Park witnessed today what appeared to be a violent battle between robot warriors…"

"What was that?" Shute blanched, and ran over to the portable TV set where Keiko was watching the news with Nana. "_Uh oh!_"

On the news report they were showing footage of the battle against the Mayor's statue and Zapper Zaku.

"Uh, you really think you should let Nana watch this, mom?" Shute asked hurriedly, and exchanged worried looks with Captain. "Robot warriors…yeah right!"

"Don't worry, they were just shooting a movie," The news then showed a press release from Mayor Margaret. "Actually, it's quite thrilling for Neotopia. Our city is going to be featured in a major motion picture!"

the Mayor stepped aside and showed a hand-drawn (Her hand, actually) movie poster featuring Bakunetsumaru, titled _Blazing Samurai: Neotopia_.

"Blazing Samurai…" Keiko read, "He's kind of cute…

"Oh, he's cute all right," Mark commented dryly, "If you like 'em short, red, and built like a trash can…"

"Mark, you're jealous!"

Shute released the breath he had been holding and whispered to Captain, "That was close. Let's just hope he stays outof sight at SDG Base!"

"Captain nodded. "My sentiments-"

There was a horse whinny, and Captain and Shute turned to look. There, plain as day, was Bakunetsumaru on Entengo.

"Bakunetsumaru!" Shute cried, and rushed up to him. "Uh, hi…what are you doing here?"

"I prefer solid ground underneath my feet." The Musha Gundam grunted. That floating castle of theirs had freaked him out.

Shute's family, drawn by the conversation, soon came up.

"It's him, the Blazing Samurai!" Keiko exclaimed, "We were talking about you!"

"What's up?" Mark asked, "What brings you here? Friend of yours, Captain?"

"Uh…yeah!" Shute cried, "That's right! They're old friends…right, Captain?"

"Er, that is right," Captain said, playing along. "We are old…friends…"

"Well, any friend of Captain is a friend of ours," Keiko said, and that was that. "Would you like to stay for dinner?"

"…If I wouldn't be intruding." Bakunetsumaru replied, somewhat meekly. Like any young bachelor, he held those who could cook and clean in great fear and reverence.

"Good, then it's settled, then," Keiko looked to Mark and said, "Better put another hamburger on the barbecue, then!"

The minute Keiko turned her back, a violet rose sprouted from Bakunetsumaru's head. Shute blanched and looked around. Where was Zero!

"I didn't quite catch your name." Keiko said to Bakunetsumaru.

"Bakunetsumaru."

"Oh. That's a mouthful. Do they call you anything for short?"

Bakunetsumaru didn't quite understand. "…No."

Captain tapped Shute's shoulder and pointed up. Shute looked and saw Zero standing on the roof, a rose of his own in hand.

"Well, come on in, buddy!" Mark invited, and the adults showed Bakunetsumaru in.

"Do you like your burger well-done?" Keiko asked.

"I, uh, prefer that to _badly-done_?" Bakunetsumaru tried, confused.

Shute looked at Captain and shrugged. "Might as well join them."

Captain nodded. "Right."

As the family, original and new members gathered, Mark yelled, "Come on, everybody, it's chow time!"

"Put on two burgers for me, dad!" Shute said, "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!"

Entengo gave a frightened whinny.

"Oh, sorry, Entengo!"


	8. Zako Zako Hour

Chapter 6.5: Zako Zako Hour

Deep within the _Magnamusai_, the Zako Soldiers gathered. It was time, they knew it. In the center of the wall at the end of the room, a large stage had been set up. The iron curtain rose, showing three Zako Soldiers in front of a large screen.

The one in the middle held a Red, spherical Microphone.

The one on the right held a Blue, square-shaped Microphone.

And the one on the left held a Yellow, triangular Microphone.

"Hello, everyone!" Red Mic greeted, as he and his fellows bowed, "And welcome to the Zako Zako Hour! Today's meeting is all about;

"_Why Can't We Dark Axis Ever Win!?_"

The audience cheered, yelling "zako".

"I can't understand why we can't win, zako!" Yellow Mic wept, "It's too difficult for a poor little Zako, zako!"

"I know why we can't win!" Blue Mic answered.

"Tell us, zako!" Red Mic urged.

Blue Mic held out three digits. "We can't win because the enemy has three Gundams against us poor Zakos!"

"Oh, _really?_" Red and Yellow Mic asked.

Blue Mic gestured to the screen. It lit up, showing Captain, Zero, and Bakunetsumaru in action.

"Captain Gundam from Neotopia!" He announced, "Zero the Knight Gundam from Lacroa! And, Bakunetsumaru, the Musha Gundam of Ark! Because they have these three, there's no way we can win! Get it?"

Yellow Mic wasn't convinced, though. "But-but-but…  
"Like, Lord Zapper Zaku!" The screen show Zapper. "And Lord Grappler Gouf!" Then it showed Grappler. "And Lord Destroyer Dom!" Now Destroyer. "But-but-but the Dark Axis _also _has three very strong guys, zako. Yet, dispite _that_," His eyebecame a question mark. "Why do we lose to them?"

Red and Blue Mic found themselves falling into the pit of despair. "_Zakoooo…_"

"It just doesn't add up, zako!" Red Mic wailed.

"It makes no sense mathematically!" Blue Mic shivered.

"Hmm, I'll double-check my figures." Yellow Mic muttered, and had the screen display the three lords. "One, two, three, zako." Then it showed the Gundam Force. "And one, two, three…" He paused, blinked at Shute's image, and finished. "…Four."

The Zakos blanched. "_Huh!?_" So _that _was it!

"This creature is always hanging around the Gundams!" Red Mic reported as the screen showed a clip of Shute running home. "He is becoming so irritating to us! He's a _nuisance!_"

"He's a _disturbance!_" Blue Mic screamed.

"He's a little organic _bug_, zako!" Yellow Mic yelled.

"Zako-zak-zako!" Blue Mic cried.

"We hate soft and floppy creatures like that organic, zako!" Red Mic exclaimed.

"It's sickening, _zakooo!_" Yellow Mic declared.

Then the three Zakos calmed down.

"However, Zako…" Red Mic said.

"Now we see the enemy isn't only three Gundams, but…" Blue Mic said.

"There are four," Yellow Mic said, "Including this bug. Zako!

"One!" Yellow Mic cried, rasing his microphone.

"Oh, uh… Two!" Red Mic cried, raising his microphone.

"Three!" Blue Mic cried, raising his microphone.

There was a pause.

"You know, we Zakos are only three, too, zako-zako." Yellow Mic put in.

"This is why Lord Zapper Zaku and the others can hardly win the battles!" Red Mic explained.

"I tell ya, zako," Blue Mic said, "It's just not fair!"

"We're losing, zako!" Yellow Mic shivered.

"Four-against-three!" Red Mic finished.

"Zako-zako!" The other hosts nodded.

"I always thought we always lost was because Lord Zapper Zaku and the others were much too weak!" Red Mic commented.

"That's exactly what _I _was thinking!" Blue Mic admitted.

"I guess we all thought that!" Yellow Mic laughed.

Their laughter was cut off by an image of Zapper Zaku- An angry one. A little subtitle at the bottom right corner of the screen read 'Live'.

"Who did you morons call weak!?" Zapper roared, "How dare you talk behind my back, right under my nose, that's why we can never win, _you see!?_"

The three Zakos freaked out.

"We're very sorry, zako!" Blue Mic cried.

SLAM! The iron curtain fell.

"Anyway, everyone," Red Mic called out to the audience. "For the future of the Dark Axis…"

The Zako audience raised their arms. "_Zako Soldiers, fight! Yeah!_"

--End Chapter 6.5—

A/N: I have a confession to make. The only reason I started watching _SD Gundam Force _was because of the Zako Zako Hour. If I ever get the chance to produce my own series, I will include a segment just like it, and I don't care how much Sunset sues me for.


	9. Go, Gunbike!

Chapter 7: Go, Gunbike!

It was a peaceful Sunday in Neotopia. Everyone was taking advantage of the bright sun and lazy breeze to relax from the busy week.

"Taste my blade, you evil spawn!" Bakunetsumaru yelled, practicing his sword techniques against imaginary enemies.

There was a puff of smoke, and violet roses sprouted off of the sword tips.

"Huh? Not again…" Bakunetsumaru glared up Zero, who was looking down from the Ray household's chimney. "This isn't funny!"

Inside the workshop, Shute and mobile citizen Captain listened to their antics from a safe distance.

"There he goes again," Shute commented, "That guy's always training… He sure is intense."

"One's training never ends," Captain stated, "That's what I was taught."

"Where? Was that in Gundam school, or something?" Shute asked, smiling.

"Pre-deployment instruction," Captain answered, "In fact, my instruction supervisor is one his way here."

"He's coming today?" Shute asked, interested. "You're old teacher?"

"If you want to get technical," Captain replied, "His title is instructor."

"What's he coming for?" Shute asked, "Like, a pop quiz? Or a parent-teacher conference?"

Captain shook his head. "No, he's been assigned to our group. He will be of immeasurable assistance to us."

"He's gonna be joining us! Awesome!" Shute pumped his fists. "So we've got ourselves a new partner! Oh yeah!"

"Well…" Captain was about to say something, but an engine's roar and screech of tires cut him off.

"Stop there!" Bakunetsumaru yelled, "Friend or foe!"

"What's going on?" Shute wondered.

"My instructor's here." Captain realized.

"Yeah!"

Shute bolted for the door and ran outside, followed by Captain. They ran up towards the front driveway.

"Hey! Hello, and welcome…" Shute trailed off," Hey, where is he?"

Shute couldn't see any other robot. The only change there had been to the scenery was presence of a giant motorcycle, with a front-end like a Gundam's head, a pair of missile launchers on the back, and small sidecar. But that and the driver's seat were empty.

_Is this his bike? _Shute wondered, "It's so cool…but, where it he?" He looked to Bakunetsumaru, who was standing defensively between the bike and the house. "Bakunetsumaru, where's the guy who was riding this thing?"

Bakunetsumaru gave Shute a weird look. "_Riding _it?"

Shute looked to Captain for help. "Where's your instructor, Captain?"

Shute accidently brushed against the bike, and its engine revved to life.

"Not so close, you little runt!" A gruff voice yelled as the bike did a wheelie over Shute's head, "I'm way outta _your_ league!"

Shute gave a yell and fell back. Once the bike was back on the ground, he asked, "Hey! Did that…monster-bike thing just…talk?"

"Shute," Captain explained, "Meet Gunbike. My instructor's artificial intelligence has been installed in it."

Shute gaped. "_Gunbike?_"

"All hands, _fall in!_" Gunbike ordered.

The Gundam Force, even Entengo, stood to attention in a line.

"I'm here to try and teach you softies everythin' there is to know about combat," Gunbike told them, "So listen up and listen up good!"

"_Excuse _me?" Zero looked away disdainfully. "I am a knight of Lacroa. There is nothing _you _can teach me about combat…"

"_Zip it, you!_" gunbike barked, revving over Zero's head. "I know all about you, the proud, cocky type who likes to do things on his own, and ends up getting the rest of his squad in trouble!"

Bakunetsumaru snickered. "Couldn't have put it better myself."

"_And you!_" Gunbike was over Baku now. "Samurai Sam, the hot-head who's always jumping the gun, and can't keep his sword in his scabbard! You're no better than _he _is!

"And I suppose you're our honoray Gundam, right peewee?" Gunbike demanded, now glaring at Shute.

Shute did his best not to flinch. Or even breathe. "Mm-hm!"

"_Mm-hm? _Is that an answer? Speak up, little human boy!" Ordered Gunbike.

Shute exhaled. "Oh, sorry."

"_Well?_"

Shute snapped to attention and gave a frightened, "Yessir!"

"What the heck kinda wimpy little kitten-squeak was that!" Gunbike demanded, "When you say 'Yes sir' I want to hear it loud and clear, _understood?_"

"Yes sir!" Shute said louder.

"_I want to hear you shout!_"

"_Yes sir!" _Shute screamed, his voice echoing in the sky.

-z-

While this impromptu drill was going on, a freight of supplies was being taken to its destination. Due to the weight of the cargo, two mouse-like automated engines were being used to pull it, one in front of the other.

"We're ahead of schedual, #2," the engine in front announced, "I calculate we'll 3.6 minutes early at our next stop."

"Understood, #1," the engine in back conferred, "Decelerating."

As the train rolled on, neither of them noticed the flying device, like a kayak or surfboard armed with missiles, rockets and a gatling gun, piloted by Grappler Gouf.

_Good, they're slowing down, _Grappler thought, _That'll make this even easier!_

Grappler maneuvered his 'flight board' over Engine #1 and pulled out a Control Horn.

"Deceleration completed," Engine #2 announced.

"Excellent, #2," #1 applauded, "Wouldn't want to get off the schedule, might throw the whole system out of whack."

"Howdy-doo, choo-choo." Grappler muttered evilly, and prepared to plant the Control Horn.

Grappler was so intent on his target that he didn't notice the incoming tunnel-

BAM!

-until he had crashed into it. With a low moan, he slid off the tunnel wall above the entrance. A horde of Zako Soldiers gathered around, chattering 'Zako' as they observed their leader. Who would have guessed that cool Lord Gouf would make such a geeky move?

-z-

"I'm a lean, mean, fighting machine!" Shute yelled.

"I don't believe you, runt!" Gunbike said, revving up. "Give me a wolf howl! C'mon, from the gut! Let me hear you howl like a wolf!"

"Woof!" Shute grunted.

"_C'mon!_"

As Shute did his best to comply, Zero, Bakunetsumaru and Entengo looked to Captain for help.

"Off-duty, he's actually a very pleasant fellow." Captain said.

An alarm then sounded as Captain's V-fin lit up.

"Danger in Sector 15!" He announced.

Shute nodded. "Let's move!"

"_I can't hear you, peewee!_" Gunbike hollered.

-z-

On the tracks, Engine #1 was laughing maniacally. Grappler Gouf was on his flight board and had finally planted the Control Horn on, causing him to accelerate wildly, turning from blue to purple. The increase in speed almost caused the entire train line to fly off the tracks.

"Faster, faster, next stop, disaster!" Grappler gloated. _Ooh, hey, that's a little poem…I like it!_

-z-

"All right company! _Sound off!_" Gunbike ordered.

The Gundam Force, once again lined up, did so.

"Here!" Shute chirped.

"Here!" Captain announced.

"Here!" Zero declared.

"Here!" Bakunetsumaru cried.

Entengo winnied.

"You know what to do!" Gunbike ordered, "Move out, on the double!"

"Yo!"

"_Rendezvous_ at coordinates 4-10-9er!" Gunbike yelled as Bakunetsumaru galloped off on Entengo, with Zero flying behind.

"Did I miss something?" Zero asked Baku. "When was _he _put in command?"

Meanwhile, Captain leapt into the Re-equip Ring, and made the change to defender mode. When that was done, he blasted off for the site.

"Get in, grunt!" Gunbike ordered Shute.

Shute looked anxiously at the empty cockpit. "Me drive? Uhh…"

"Yeah, _right,_" Gunbike snorted, "You ride in the sidecar. Your weight might come in handy as a counter-balance!"

Shute wasn't so sure he liked that.

"Well, come on!" Gunbike urged, "You're a Gundam, aren'tcha!"

"Yo!" Shute leapt into the sidecar and buckled his seatbelt. "Ready, sir!"

"Good, now hang on tight!"

Gunbike shot off, with Shute barely hanging on to the sidecar's handlebars. No sooner were they out of sight did Keiko came out with a tray of snacks. She had heard the antics from inside (The entire _neighborhood _must have heard Gunbike!) and had prepared some refreshments.

"Anyone care for some hot chocolate and cookies?" She asked.

No reply. A lone tumbleweed rolled by, as part of the universal law of loneliness.

"_Helloooo?_" Keiko called out softly. Lately, it seemed like Shute and his new friends were always running off somewhere…at least he was getting some fresh air out of the workshop…

z--

As Gunbike drove on, Shute watched as his cockpit opened up. Captain came down from above, fitted his beam rifle and shield into the specially-designed compartments, and seated, fitting in perfectly. Shute realized that Gunbike must have been built for Captain's specific convenience.

"Docking sequence, complete!" Captain announced.

"All right! Let's put the pedal to the metal!" Gunbike yelled, and accelerated.

-z-

Back with the train, #2 looked on anxiously at his brother.

"Outta my way, coming through!" #1 laughed evilly.

"Oh dear, oh dear! What's wrong with him?" #2 worried, "I've never seen him act like this before!"

"C'mon, relax!" Grappler said, and threw a Control Horn on him. "_Join the party!_"

The Control Horn struck and unfolded on #2, crackling to life.

"Oh, and I was just painted too.." #2 fretted, "Ohh, this is terrible! It's going to make a mess of the schedule! Whatever…would the…stationmaster…say…!" The Horn's power turned him purple, signifying his mind-control. "Oh, who cares!"

"Hold!"

"What!" Grappler looked behind, and much to his annoyance, saw the Gundam Force right on their tails. And where did they get that bike!

"Gundams!" He growled.

"All right, men! There's our objective!" Gunbike ordered, "Take out those Control Horns _pronto!_"

"That shouldn't be too difficult," Zero shrugged, "_Leave it to me!_"

"Negative, Zero!" Gunbike yelled as the Winged Knight flew off. "Come back here!"

Zero ignored him, skillfully hopping from car to car over the Zako Soldiers stationed.

"Let's give him some backup!" Captain yelled, and he and Bakunetsumaru leapt from their rides and onto the caboose. A troop of Zakos looked at them.

"Hmm, where to begin…?" Bakunetsumaru hummed eagerly.

At the front, Zero confronted Grappler Gouf.

"Yield, you black-hearted fiend, and cease your mischief or I shall make you rue this day!" Zero warned.

"Whatever, Shakespeare!" Grappler snapped, and pulled out his sword.

"So it is combat you seek! Very well!" Zero declared, and summoned his shield and sword.

"Very_ pretty!_" Grappler snarled, and sped his board at the Knight Gundam. The two dueled in the air, with Grappler dodging and diving at Zero.

"Stand and fight, if you dare!" Zero yelled, parrying.

"I _dare!_" Grappler retorted, and lunged.

Zero dodged again, and Grappler halted his board over Engine #2.

"Right back where we started!" Grappler chuckled darkly, "Only now, you're running out of time!"

-z-

"I've been working on the railroad…" Bakunetsumaru sang, knocking charging Zakos away with ease.

Captain, meanwhile, hadn't moved. His green targeting scope was down as he focused on the Control Horn.

_Acquiring target…now!_ Captain pulled the trigger on his rifle, but jolted as Bakunetsumaru came into his scope at the last minute.

"Wha- _Whoa!_" Bakunetsumaru cried, leaping back. The misaimed beam struck another Zako Soldier.

"Are you trying to hit me too!" Baku' yelled accusingly.

"Sorry, but you were in my line of fire!" Captain apologized, and took aim again. _Okay…now, now I've got it!_

But this time it was Zero who almost got fried.

"What are they doing?" Shute groaned, "They need to work together!"

"C'mon, y'all stop foolin' around!" Gunbike yelled, as Entengo whinnied his agreement.

But as it went on, it soon became apparent that the roofs of the train cars did not provide a large enough battlefield. Twice Captain almost shot his teammates.

"Whoop!" Bakunetsumaru jumped to avoid another beam.

"Sorry about that!"

"Why don't you watch where you're aiming that thing, Captain!" Zero yelled hotly after dodging a following beam.

Captain tried to shoot again, but a dull click sounded when he pulled the trigger. "I'm out of ammo!"

"_Get this through your heads, numbskulls!_" Gunbike roared, "You're supposed to be a team!_ Start acting like one!_"

But his words seemed to fall on deaf ears.

"I'm not wasting time on _you!_" Zero spat as he and Grappler clashed swords, "I'll destroy the Control Horn myself!"

Grappler saw another tunnel coming and smirked. "Yeah, good idea, why don't you do that?"

Grappler ducked his head as Zero rose-

BONK!

-and hit the tunnel wall.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" Grappler snickered, thinking in the privacy of his head, _At least I'm not the only dummy around here…_

As Gunbike and Entengo followed the train line, Zero, with an inelegant moan, slid off the tunnel wall and landed flat on the tracks.

"Little help?" He groaned in pain.

-z-

When the train left the tunnel, Captain and Bakunetsumaru were confronted by one Zako Soldier.

"Zako?" The Soldier asked, worried.

Then they entered another tunnel, and in the darkness, a series of other mono-eyes lit up besides the lone Zako's. When the train reentered daylight, the little Zako was now part of a squad.

"Ready?" Captain asked, igniting his beam saber.

"Ready when you are, Captain!" Bakunetsumaru nodded.

They entered another tunnel.

"_Now!_" Captain ordered, and he and Baku made their move. When the train exited the tunnel, the Zakos were gone.

"Where did they go?" Captain asked, confused. He and Bakunetsumaru looked behind to find the Zakos doing the same thing.

They went in another tunnel. When they came out, the Zakos had split into two groups facing each other, with Captain and Bakunetsumaru on either sides, backs turned against them.

"…No, this isn't right." Captain muttered.

Another tunnel, and both sides were back where they were at the start. However, the Gundam were facing the left side of the car, while the Zakos faced the right.

"No no no…"

Another tunnel, but this time both sides had swapped positions.

"There-! Ugh…" Captain groaned.

In the darkness of the next tunnel, Captain felt his beam saber hit something.

"Ha! Finally got you!" He cried, but the light outside revealed he was fighting Bakunetsumaru, with Zakos all around. "Oh, sorry. How did that happen?"

"Are they _always _this disorganized?" Gunbike grumbled, watching their antics.

"Not _always…_" Shute mumbled.

Then Gunbike received an update. "We're runnin' out of time!"

Gunbike sped up, coming alongside the car with the Gundams and Zakos fighting on.

"Hey, guys!" Shute yelled, "You better listen to Gunbike, here!"

"There's a Zakurello Gate materializin' dead ahead, and right behind it is a huge gas works!" Gunbike told them, "So get it together, 'cause even if we destroy the Gate, if we don't stop the train, it'll stop those gas tanks!"

"And make one heck of a boom!" Shute added for extra effect.

"Not to worry, Gunbike!" Captain assured. "Leave it to us!"

"Yes, leave it to me- I mean, us!" Bakunetsumaru nodded, and charged forward, plowing through the Zakos.

"Wait! Wait for me!" Captain cried, running after him.

The Gundams were halted by a rain of bullets from Grappler's board-mounted gatling gun.

"Don't move!" Grappler told them, "I want to remember you just like that!"

Grappler continued to fire, forcing Captain to hide behind his shield while Bakunetsumaru blocked the bullets with his swordplay.

"Very fancy, but let's see how long you can keep it up!" Grappler taunted.

"He's right!" Captain decided, "_I'll _take him!"

"_No!_" Bakunetsumaru yelled, shielding Captain.

"Bakunetsumaru, fall back!" Captain ordered, "My shield is stronger than your sword!"

"You doubt my swordsmanship!" Bakunetsumaru asked angrily, blocking the bullets.

"Leave him to me!" Captain insisted, "I'll pin him down while you go after the Control Horn!"

"No, Captain!" Bakunetsumaru growled stubbornly, "This fiend is going to taste my blade!"

"You should send someone else anyway," Grappler said, "It's not like either of you could beat me!"

Grappler fired a slew of missiles from his flight board.

"Incoming!" Captain cried, "Watch out!"

The missiles did not hit the Gundams. Instead, they exploded on the couplings holding their car and ones ahead together

"_Bon voyage!_" Grappler laughed, and continued to fire his gatling gun at the steadily slowing Gundams.

"Okay, _you _take him!" Captain conceded.

Bakunetsumaru nodded. "Right!"

"I've got to catch up with those engines!" Captain yelled, and activated his boosters as he and Baku' leapt forward.

"_Now _what?" Grappler grumbled. Why didn't these Gundams just admit defeat?

Captain rocketed ahead ("Hey!" Grappler yelled) and Bakunetsumaru landed on the board, and managed to knock it off-balance. Meanwhile, Captain just barely caught onto the next car.

With a disgusted growl, Grappler pointed his board at the disconnected cars.

"Fire!" He yelled, and another slew of missiles flew at it.

The missiles hit the cars, and the explosions sent Bakunetsumaru flying away. The cars themselves were also sent flying towards Gunbike…and Shute!

_Oh no! _Captain thought, panicking. _Gunbike!_

Shute and Gunbike tried to break themselves as the tumbling cars fell toward them…

ZWISH! ZWISH! ZWISH!

Suddenly, the cars were sliced in half, landing safely on opposite sides of the automated motorcycle. Shute risked opening his eyes and saw Captain in front of them.

"Whoa, Captain, you saved us!" Shute cried.

"He disobeyed orders is what he did!" Gunbike snapped, "What're you doin', deviating from the mission objective!"

"I thought I should save my friends' lives." Captain replied awkwardly.

"Completin' the mission is all that's important!" Gunbike barked.

"Yeah, well…" Shute thought he should speak up at this time. "Our _lives_ are maybe a _little_ important too, aren't they?"

"The mission's _all _that counts." Gunbike said firmly.

"Well, it was my belief that I could accomplish both." Captain commented.

"It's too late!" Gunbike half-yelled.

"Maybe so, sir," Captain replied, saluting. "But we'll never know if we stand here debating the point all day!"

Captain turned around and shot off, using his boosters to bound forward like the Hulk.

"He's right!" Shute yelled, "What're you waiting for? We've gotta back him up!"

"…I don't need _you _tellin' me what to do, peewee!" Gunbike said at last.

-z-

Captain was on his 13.49th leap when Gunbike sped in front of him.

"You'll never catch up in time!" the old-timer yelled.

"We've gotta work together," Shute said, "As a _team!_"

"Don't just stand there, Captain!" Gunbike barked, "Hop aboard!"

"…Right!" Captain nodded, and re-seated.

-z-

Up ahead, Grappler was leisurely flying along the train when he heard a familiar engine roar.

"What?" Grappler looked and groaned when he saw Gunbike coming up behind. "Oh, not again!"

"It's gonna be close," Shute announced, checking a computer read-out in the sidecar. "Five kilometers to impact!"

"I thought you were suppose to be an express!" Grappler yelled at the engines, "_Get moving!_"

As the train began to move away, Shute yelled, "Faster, Gunbike!"

"It's no use!" The instructor gritted, "I've givin' it all I've got and it's _still_ pullin' away!"

"Quickly, Shute!" Captain said, "We need some turbo-powered Soul Drive!"

"We need Soul _what?_" Gunbike asked, confused. The Soul Drive was just a newfangled way of balancing out a robot's emotions, as far as he knew. It didn't have power!

…Did it?

Shute nodded, determined. "Let's _go!_"

Spurned by the force in Shute's voice, the Soul Drive activated, and Captain's eyes enflamed. Captain connected his footwheels to special gears in Gunbike, spinning them. The kinetic force energized special boosters in Gunbike, covering them in a special aura as they charged forward, faster than ever. Gunbike's visor sild over his Gundam face.

Meanwhile, the engines were approaching the Zakurello Gate.

"Two kilometers to go!" Shute announced.

Gunbike revved up, did a wheelie, and began to drive _along the sides of the cars!_

"I've had it with you!" Grappler snarled, and came at them, guns a-blazing.

"Take him, Captain!" Gunbike ordered.

Captain leapt from the cockpit and delivered a flying kick to Grappler's chest, sending him back. With a sick and angry cry, the Dark Axis lord was sent flying through the Zakurello Gate. The Gate de-materialized.

"_Yeehaw!_" Gunbike whooped, feeling like a new model again. "That's one down!" He knocked the Control Horn off #2 while Captain sliced the one on #1 in pieces, causing them both to explode. With the influence of the Horns gone, the engines returned to normal.

"Hahaha- Huh? What came over me?" #1 asked, confused.

But there was still the gas works, straight ahead past a very sharp curve. Anything going at their speed would fly right off the tracks.

#2 saw the immediate danger and screamed, "_Emergency braking system! Emergency!_"

The engines halted their wheels, causing a screech as they ran against the tracks, but to no avail. They went off.

"We're not stopping!" #1 cried, "This is not good!"

The train hit the ground and continued to move against the dirt towards the gas works. Captain and Gunbike slid around in front and pressed themselves against the de-railed vehicle, trying to stop it. It kept going!

"We're getting _real close!_" Shute yelled.

"This isn't workin'!" Gunbike yelled, and drove against the train. "The rest of you get clear while I slow him down!" Gunbike disconnected the sidecar and kicked Shute away. "Get outta here, son!"

"_No! Hey!_" Shute screamed as he slid off. He watched in horror as the train continued its impromptu ride towards destruction.

"You heard me, Captain!" Gunbike ordered, "Fall back on the double!"

"Sorry, Gunbike!" Captain replied, "I can't do that!"

"_What!_"

Before Gunbike could yell again, Bakunetsumaru jumped out and pressed himself against the train, followed by Entengo.

"_What are you doing!_" Gunbike screamed, "_Clear off! Clear off now!"_

Meanwhile, Zero flew down and caught the sidecar.

"Thanks, Zero!" Shute said, relieved.

"Wait here." Zero told him, and flew off, planting himself against the train with the others.

"_Push!_" Captain yelled.

"_Save yourselves, that's an order!_" Gunbike yelled, "_Errgh! Am I talkin' to myself here!_"

Off to the side, Shute did the only thing he could do.

"_Go, Gundams!_" He cheered, "_that's the way! Give it everything you got!_"

As the train got closer to the gas works, Zero hissed, "We're running out of time!"

"_Push!_" Captain yelled.

For a moment, it seemed like the sound of crushing ground was a death knell. Then, when the train was mere meters away…it stopped.

Shute stared. It stopped.

_It stopped!_

"_Wow, they did it!_" He cheered, and ran up to the Gundams. "Haha, whaddya think of them now, Gunbike? Not bad, huh?"

Gunbike was silent for a moment. But only a moment. "…Well, for a bunch'a _disobedient_ lunatics…yeah, not bad."

Shute grinned, and released the laughter he had been holding in all day. Soon, Zero and Bakunetsumaru joined in. High praise indeed, coming from Gunbike!

"Uh, hey…guys…" Captain spoke up.

They kept laughing.

"Gunbike is right!" Captain yelled.

That got their attention. Shute, Zero, Bakunetsumaru and Entengo looked at Captain.

"We could all use a few lessons in discipline," Captain said, "Today out there our teamwork was terrible!"

"But, Captain…" Shute began.

"That goes for you too, Shute." Captain said simply.

Shute winced. "Okay…"

Gunbike wasted no time. "_All right, you grunts! Fall in!_"

The Gundam Force lined up.

"Now, if there's no objections," Gunbike said sternly, "We'll start with a little basic trainin'!"

The Gundam Force exchanged uneasy looks, but made no complaints.

"Let's start with some drills! Left face! Forward march! Left, right, left, right, left, right- C'mon, lame-o!-left, right…!"


	10. Zako Zako Hour 2

Chapter 7.5: Zako Zako Hour

The curtain lifted, showing Red Mic, Blue Mic, and Yellow Mic.

"Ladies and gentlebots," Red Mic said, "and welcome to the Zako Zako Hour! Today's meeting is all about, all together now!"

The three held up inactive Control Horns and yelled, "_We Have Awesome Weapons But Can't Win!_"

A mixture of boos and cheers filled the room.

"Zako-zako!" Red Mic gestured to the screen as it showed the Control Horn in action. "If you attach this Control Horn to any sort of robot, then they fall under Dark Axis control!"

"But why do we pull this move each and everytime, Zako?" Yellow Mic asked.

"Hey, I take offense to that," Blue Mic piped up, "We don't do it _every _time!"

"We don't?" Red and Yellow Mic leaned into Blue Mic suspiciously.

"…Okay, you're right, I guess we do." Blue Mic admitted.

"Yup." Yellow Mic nodded.

"Well, just between us," Blue Mic said, "The Dark Axis troops are very good at making things from scratch."

"That's true." Red Mic nodded.

"I'm glad we agree." Blue Mic nodded, and pointed to the screen. "So, we attach these Control Horns to the other side's robots become our evil minions, you see."

"Really?" The other hosts asked.

"Persuasive!" Red Mic noted.

"Zako-zako." The other two nodded.

"But-but-but," Yellow Mic exclaimed, "If we here at the Dark Axis can't make things very well, where did Lord Gouf get his ultra-fancy jet board, huh, zako?"

The screen showed footage of Grappler Gouf flying on his board.

"That's a good question, zako!" Blue Mic said, "Let me think about this for a moment…aha! Because Lord Gouf can't make stuff, he must have _stolen _it! So, he's…"

Red Mic and Yellow Mic fell into the abyss of despair. "A _thief….!_"

Then all three of them burst out laughing.

"Oh, that Lord Gouf!" Red Mic chuckled, "If cannot make it, just take it!"

"Zako!" The three of them chorused, "That's the Dark Axis way of doing everything!"

"…We are so cool!" Red Mic commented.

"Zako!" Yellow Mic smiled. Then he frowned in thought. "Hmm, well that means...

"The Dark Axis fortress…

"And the _Magnamusai…_

"And the Zakurello Gate…

"And the _Komusai…_

"and this…" He held up an battle ax. "And that…" He held up a Zako gun. "_And _we Zakos are stolen from some other place?"

Red Mic gasped. "_Oh no!_ That can't be!"

"That's got to be a lie!" Blue Mic shivered, "Don't say things like that!"

The two of them then realized that Yellow Mic was gone. For a moment, the stage was devoid of his presence.

Then, Yellow Mic flew in on a familiar-looking flight board.

"Huh?" The two land-bound Zakos asked, confused.

Yellow Mic landed and smiled triumphantly.

"That…so that board is…" Red Mic tried to ask the big question, but couldn't.

"I've secretly stolen this from Lord Gouf!" Yellow Mic gloated happily.

"_Zako!?_"

"_Hey!_" Grappler Gouf's face appeared on the screen, live. "the Dark Axis is always losing because you lugnuts are always stealing stuff! _How dare you steal my board!?_"

The hosts panicked.

"Forget what I've said before!" Red Mic yelled to the audience.

"Stealing is a bad thing!" The hosts cried before the curtain fell.

"Anyway, everyone!" Red Mic yelled, "For the future of the Dark Axis…

"_Zako Soldiers, fight!_"


	11. A Princess, A Cake, and a Winged Knight

Chapter 8: A Princess, A Cake, And A Winged Knight

At the bed of a lake, violet rose petals flew around, moved by a great wind. From his sword, Zero the Winged Knight shot a bright beam of white light into the air, forming the rune circle used in Lacroa's magic.

_I was poised to triumph! _Zero thought unhappily. _…But it was no use… And I still have yet to master this Vatras Sword. But it does bring back memories…_

In his mind, he could still see the day when Lacroa fell. While still being petrified, the Princess of Lacroa had used her last amount of magic to open a portal, casting Zero from Lacroa's world into Neotopia's.

_I'll never forget that dark day, when the Dark Axis tore my home apart! _Zero thought angrily.

The last memory he had of Lacroa was the quest given unto him by the Princess, to find a cure for the Bagubagu's curse.

"_Always keep in mind your beloved Lacroa… You can revive it…" _Her majesty had said.

In frustration, Zero stabbed his sword into the ground. "'Tis a regrettable memory I have of that day," He muttered softly, "Lacroa's darkest hour! Those images of the past…how they haunt me!" Getting up, Zero looked at the building across the lake. " But, yon castle awaits me."

-z-

Shute walked down the hall of the cake factory, led by Prio, a man who was one of Mayor Margaret's aides. He had been invited to take a first glimpse of a surprise for the Mayor by his friend, Sayla. She had been recruited to aide in making the cake for her honor's birthday.

"…This is where they are made." Prio said, leading Shute into the next room.

Shute stared at the sight that awaited him. In the center of the room- which probably made up of most of the building- was multi-layered birthday cake to end all cakes. It was gigantic, like a pyramid of pastry. Complicated scaffolding had been set up all around it, and GM-class mobile chefs worked tirelessly, applying frosting and strawberries- grown to the size of beach balls- wherever they could. A set of huge robotic arms also helped, doing the things the normal sized robots couldn't. He could see on a screen an image of Sayla, working in an adjacent kitchen, on a smaller-sized version of the same cake.

"Wow!" Shute exclaimed, "Sayla designed this?"

"YES, SHE'S INCREDIBLE!"

Shute jumped and whirled at the cheerful and energetic voice. Next to him was a moving computer screen with an image of a cute cartoon face with a chef's hat and pigtails.

"SORRY TO STARTLE YOU!" The face giggled, "I'M ANNIE, THE AI FOR THIS SHOP! YOU MUST BE SAYLA'S FRIEND, SHUTE! WELCOME!"

Shute bowed his head in greeting. "Hello."

The robotic hands- controlled by Annie- placed a large card on the cake that read, HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

"MAKE SURE YOU PUT PLENTY OF FROSTING SO THE STRAWBERRIES STAY ON!" Annie told the mobile chefs.

Shute watched the action in awe. "This is just so incredible…"

-z-

In her private kitchen in the room next to the giant cake, Sayla continued to decorate her own cake. A video camera nearby monitored her work, providing the mobile chefs and Annie with something to work around.

"It's coming along so nicely," Sayla giggled, and placed on last strawberry on the side. "I'd say that'd just about do it. Mayor Margaret will be so pleased!" She was both shocked and honored when she had been asked to help with the surprise, and she wanted to do her very best.

Then she heard a boy's voice call up from below her station.

"Hey, up there! You're doing a great job!"

She knew that voice! Shute must have arrived! Sayla smiled and waved at the camera.

"Shute! How kind of you to notice!" She giggled.

-z-

"Well, I'm off," Prio said, walking towards the door. "Enjoy your scrumptious tour. I'm leaving you in capable hands."

"BYE, PRIO!" Annie giggled, waving one of her hands along with Shute's.

As soon as Prio was gone, Shute looked back at the mammoth cake and licked his lips.

"This is the place for a guy who likes desert!" He remarked.

-z-

At Lab C, things were not so cheerful.

SDG mobile soldiers and mobile workers operated all around, repairing the damage to the Dimensional Transport Device. But the most difficult task lay not in the Device, but in its audience.

"Bakunetsumaru, you need to relax!" Captain told the samurai. The Musha Gundam had arrived to 'oversee' the reconstruction, but his anxiety seemed to be contagious. The mobile workers spent more time keeping away from the irritable samurai than actually working.

"Relax? _Relax!_" Bakunetsumaru cried, "How do you expect me to stay calm when my one route home has been blocked! I need this Dimensional Transport Device!"

Before Captain could explain the intricacies of space-time manipulation and quantum physics, a loud snore sounded off.

"Huh? What's that?" Captain wondered.

Checking the source, the Gundams and Entengo found Bell Wood, fast asleep on a line of crates.

Everyone could practically _hear _Bakunetsumaru's temper flaring.

"You there!" the samurai barked angrily, "Wake up! How much longer?"

Bell Wood raised an eyelid at the samurai and turned over. "The work is complicated, y'know," He told him, "And when people give me attitude, I lose interest."

"_What!_" Bakunetsumaru exploded, "How dare you speak to me that way, you insolent little brat! The fate of a _country _is depending on me returning, and I, in turn, am depending on you!"

As Baku' ranted and raved, Captain and Entengo exchanged looks.

"Does he _always _get on his high-horse like this?" Captain asked.

Entengo shrugged and neighed, which Captain took to mean, "Sometimes."

-z-

Across the lake, on the opposite shore of the cake factory, a Zakurello Gate opened. Destroyer Dom poked his head out, looked both ways, and stomped out, dragging his Gallop behind. After many exhausting hours, he had come up with an invasion plan that _wasn't_ to blast everything, friend or foe.

_Those Gundams are used to us showing up in large numbers, _Destroyer thought eagerly, _But this time it's just me and my weapons!_ By going in alone, there was _no way _he could end up blasting his comrades! The fact that he was going in alone without reinforcements did not bother him in the slightest. Nor did it occur to him.

"This is Operation: Full-Armament!" Destroyer announced, and opened the Gallop's door.

Nothing happened.

Confused, Destroyer looked inside. There he found two Zako Soldiers scrubbing the chamber with squeegees, as well as a distinct lack of arms.

"It gets so dirty in here if you don't give it a scrub once and a while, zako!" One remarked.

"I can see myself in the…shine?" The Zako pair felt an angry gaze on them and looked up.

"Where. Are. My. _Weapons?_" Destroyer asked fiercely.

The Zakos panicked and began to stutter.

"The weapons… Oh! The weapons!" The second Zako murmured, shaking. "Well, ah…"

"I guess we forgot them…zako," The first quivered.

Quickly, they spread out their arms. "But _sir!_ Have you seen the weapons storage chamber look so spotless, so clean, sir!"

"_You forgot my weapons!_" Destroyer boomed, "Now _I'll _clean house!"

Destroyer reached in, grabbed the Zakos, and _punted _them across the lake.

"_We'll go and find you weapons, sir!_" the Zako duo wailed as they sailed through the air.

"And make it quick, Zakos!" Destroyer yelled, before slumping over. "Idiots!"

-z-

In the factory, mobile chefs watched the monitor with Sayla, observing her cake-decorating techniques as she worked on her personal cake.

"…Now, this part's important." She finished, adding a dollop to the top layer. "And there!"

"That's Miss Sayla for you!" One mobile chef said to another.

"I just gotta figure out how she does it." The second one commented.

On the floor, Shute watched the activity when he heard an Italian synthesized voice next to him.

"Oh my word, I find myself wondering how it is going to taste."

Shute turned and saw another of Mayor Margaret's aides, the mobile citizen with a mustache.

"Excuse me, sir, wouldn't you be…?" He began, trying to place the robot's name.

The GM bowed. "I am Leonardo, young man. In the employ of Mayor Margaret, I am her butler. Pleased to meet you."

"Likewise!"

Leonardo looked back up at the monstrous cake. "When the Mayor sees this magnificent cake and its decorations, she will love it. It will make her birthday all the more special."

Shute nodded. "Uh-huh! Not only are Sayla's cakes great to look at, but they're mighty tasty, too!"

No one noticed the two Zako Soldiers sneak in. From the outside they had heard the sounds of activity and came in to investigate. Now they were looking at the giant pastry in shock and awe. Never before had they beheld such a sight.

"What is that thing, zako?" Zako One asked.

"It looks to me like some sort of super weapon of mass destruction, zako!" Zako Two replied. The fact that the colossus was meant for ingesting never occurred to either of them.

"Great, zako!" Zako One nodded, "Let's contact Lord Dom!"

"Quietly…" Zako Two urged. They didn't want to be caught in enemy territory all alone.

The Zako duo scuttled off, but didn't get far before Annie saw them.

"OH, GOOD!" She giggled. Those little green guys looked so cute! "VOLUNTEERS!"

"_Zako!_" The Zakos stared at the approaching face.

"HER, PUT THESE ON!" Annie said, placing chef's hats on the Zakos. She then gave them some assorted kitchen utensils. "OH, AND IF YOU'RE GOING TO BAKE THAT CAKE, YOU'LL NEED THESE TOOLS!"

The Zakos stared at each other in wonder before giving their new tools the heave-ho. "Oh, no you don't!"

They ran, Zako Two speaking into a walkie-talkie. "Lord Dom, we have found weapons! I repeat, we found a big weapon!"

Shute overheard the commotion and blanched when he saw the Zakos.

"Hey, see those guys?" He exclaimed, pointing. "They're with the Dark Axis!"

"What! They're with the _who!_" Leonardo asked, confused.

The Zakos halted and looked at Shute and Leonardo before huddling.

"Darn, looks they spotted us!" Zako One muttered.

"Then in that case," Zako Two decided, "He who acts first, wins!"

Whipping out a Control Horn, the Zakos charged at Annie's screen.

"Time for a Dark Axis attitude adjustment!" Zako Two yelled.

"And we're just the ones to do it!" Zako One added.

Leaping off of Zako Two's back, Zako One threw the Control Horn onto Annie's screen.

"_HEY! WHAT'S GOING ON HERE!_" She cried before her screen turned off.

It turned back on as the Horn unfolded and activated, dark electricity sparked as the AI fell under Dark Axis Control. Her cute and round face became pointed and evil, drastically different than before.

"ALL RIGHT, YOU LOSERS!" Annie cackled, "FEAST YOU EYES ON MY ULTIMATE WEAPON-CAKE!"

"What's happened to Annie!" Shute cried as the entire room sparked with dark lighting. He then realized that the Dark Axis not only had control over one program, but also the entire building. Annie's arms swung around, jamming birthday candles and fireworks onto the cake.

"LET ME SHOW YOU CRUMB-CAKES HOW TO MAKE A CAKE THAT'LL BLOW YOU AWAY!" Annie cackled as she worked.

"Look at all of those weapons!" Zako Two said, pointing. "Yum yum yum!"

"Lord Dom will love 'em! Let's go get him!" Zako One laughed.

Meanwhile, the mobile chefs were stampeding out of the room as fast as they could. They knew the standard procedure for a rampaging computer was to make a tactical retreat.

"Mr. Leonardo!" Shute yelled, "Get everyone out of the building!"

"Wait!" Leonardo cried, trying not to get trampled as he organized the runners. "What will you do!"

"Sir! I'm a member of the Gundam Force!" Shute answered, "I'm going to stay and make sure Sayla's protected!"

"Boldly spoken, brave one!"

Shute looked up at the voice. "Zero, you came here for me!"

Zero summoned a rose and grinned. "Frankyly, I didn't give you a second thought! But Princess Sayla's safety must be assured!" He struck an elegant pose.

A week ago Shute would have been insulted, but was now so used to Zero's routine that the jab didn't bother him in the slightest. "Zero, all right!"

"Not a Gundam!" the Zakos groaned.

"Please forgive my briskness, Shute," Zero said, landing in front of the boy. "But looking after Sayla is my top priority!" He raised his hand. "_O Mana, come to me!_"

Above them all, the rune circle appeared, and the shield lowered into Zero's hand.

THUMP!

"Waauuugghh!" Zero cried as something big crashed into him, flying away. He crashed into a cartload of strawberries.

"That was not very sporting!" Zero spat, digging himself out. "My elegant counterattack will have you tasting steel!" Zero tried to unsheathe his sword, only to find that he didn't have it. "_What!_ Where's my sword?"

"Finally, a weapon!" Destroyer Dom sighed, holding up Zero's sword. "It's rather primitive, but it'll have to do!"

"No, you foul rascal!" Zero yelled angrily. An elegant weapon like his in the hands of a brute like Destroyer! He could practically see his comrades shake their heads in dismay.

"I'll show you how to use this relic from Lacroa!" Destroyer threatened, and swung the blade. A rose sprouted from the sword's tip. "…Well, I suppose it's better than having _no _weapon…"

The Zakos zipped up with the fireworks they had collected.

"Here, Lord Dom, sir!" Zako One said.

"Please, use _these _weapons we found!" Zako Two insisted.

Destroyer nodded happily. "Ahh, well, yes! Now theselook to me like _real _weapons! This is more like it!"

Guffawing, Destroyer loaded himself up with the birthday surprises such as fireworks loaded with strawberries, not bothering to think about how silly he looked. As far as he was concerned, if these things could explode, they were good enough for him!

"Now, let's get this destruction party started!" Destroyer laughed.

"Party, party!" The Zakos cheered, "Rah-rah-rah!"

Zero took a step back, getting protectively in front of Shute. _How could this be!_

Meanwhile, Annie continued to stuff the giant cake full of fireworks and giant candles.

"DON'T MY DANGEROUS DECORATIONS JUST MAKE YOU WANNA WRECK THIS PLACE!" She cackled.

"Let's get 'im, get 'im, sis-boom-bah!" The Zakos chanted.

Quickly, Shute opened his PDA and speed dialed Captain's frequency. "Captain! Do you read me, Captain?"

The screen read OUT OF AREA.

"Can't get a signal to reach him!" He cursed.

"We can't rely on those who aren't here!" Zero said sternly.

"But, Zero…"

"_We _are the only ones who can defend Princess Sayla," Zero continued, "We members of the Gundam Force must use our _own_ strength to fight!"

Shute nodded, understanding. "Right! While I get Sayla, you handle these creeps!"

Shute ran for the scaffold's elevator and pushed the up button.

"Scardy-cat!" The Zakos taunted, laughing.

"Go ahead and run!" Destroyer snorted, "I'll get you soon enough!"

"_En guard!_"

Destroyer looked from Shute to Zero and laughed. "Hahaha, you joking? You gonna fight me with a eggbeater?"

"Only until I get my sword back, scoundrel!" Zero shot back, glaring. He wished he could have found something a little more dignified, like a large knife, but beggars couldn't be choosers.

"Here, eat this!" Destroyer fired a strawberry rocket at Zero.

"When one calls himself a knight," Zero spat, effortlessly dodging the makeshift missile. "One _never _uses projectiles to do his bidding!"

As the rocket exploded behind him, Zero clashed his egg beater against Destroyer's stolen sword.

"That's it, Shute!" the Knight Gundam yelled, "Hurry!"

Coughing from the smoke the missile created, Shute continued his trek, running towards the next lift.

"Zakos, do something about that human!" Destroyer ordered.

"Yes, sir, zako!" The Zakos whipped out two canisters. "It's Bagubagu time!"

They released electronic insects were quick to swarm, and began to petrify the giant cake. Shute doubled his pace, hearing the buzz behind him.

"Curse!" Zero swore, "Without my sword, I can't cast any protection spells!"

"Spell _this!_" Destroyer yelled, and dueled against Zero. While he had no skill, he had power and a better weapon, and Zero, distracted by his concern for Sayla and Shute, could only manage to fight evenly with the bionic brute.

"I'll defeat you yet, villain!" Zero grunted.

"_Sayla!_"

Zero looked up at the screen.

"It can't be!" Shute cried in horror, "She's turned to stone!"

Zero's eyes shook. There, plain as day, was Sayla, her complexion grey.

He dropped the egg beater. Another fair maider he had sworn to protect…lost forever.

"No…" he whispered, remembering the Princess of Lacroa. "Yet again I have failed…"

Then Sayla coughed.

She coughed!

-z-

"I'm all covered in flour!" She coughed, dusting herself off. The explosion from outside had sent the flour bowl right on top of her.

-z-

Shute sighed in relief. "I was worried…"

"Thank goodness," Zero said, relaxing. Then he remembered. "Shute! Wake up, boy! It's not safe yet! Move!"

Shute saw the Bagubagu fly up and ran, climbing up the ladder to next level of the scaffold.

"Now for _you!_" Zero spat, glaring at the Dark Axis. "I will protect what I've sworn to protect and not fail!"

"Well, I'm gonna destroy what I want to destroy!" Destroyer retorted, "So tough!"

Destroyer launched more fireworks, aimed at…Sayla!

-z-

In her kitchen, Sayla continued to clean up. Her one great mental strength was that when she set to complete a task, she would let nothing distract her. This was also her one great mental weakness, as she subconsciously blocked out the sound of incoming missiles.

-z-

"Sayla, get out of there!" Shute yelled as loud as he could, "It's about to blow- huh?"

The fireworks had stopped in mid-air! Zero had flown up and was holding them back as best he could.

"I will finally achieve success in protecting damsels and fair ladies from the missiles and arrows of misfortune!" Zero gritted.

Unable to hold them back anymore, Zero and the missiles went flying up- away from Sayla, thankfully- and exploded into the ceiling. Zero then fell back onto the floor, landing spread eagle.

Shute winced. That had to _hurt_. Then he heard a buzzing and saw that the Bagubagu had caught up. "That doesn't look good…"

On the floor, Zero slowly lifted himself up. "I must do something…" He groaned.

"You pathetic Gundam!" Destroyer yelled, "Time to finish you off with your own sword!"

Destroyer struck, forcing Zero to block with his shield. But the knight was too injured to make a decent defense, and Destroyer soon overpowered him.

"Say goodbye, wimp!" Destroyer sneered.

"I must find a way out of this!" Zero groaned, trying not to falter. "This can't be the end for a chivalrous knight of honor!"

On the scaffold, Shute tossed whatever tools the fleeing mobile chefs had left behind down. "Here, Zero, catch!"

But Zero could not grab any, and Destroyer paid them no mind as the utensils rained on him.

"Zero, hang on!" Shute yelled.

"I'm doing all that I can!" Zero griped.

Then Shute noticed that the fireworks had blown a hole into the roof.

"I'll try my communicator again!" He decided. "Maybe I can get a signal out from up here!" Flipping open the PDA, he yelled, "Captain! Shute here! _Zero needs you!_"

"_I'm here!_"

Two figures leapt down through the whole- Captain and Bakunesumaru! They had heard about the commotion from Leonardo, and had just arrived by gunperry.

As they went down, Shute and Captain's eyes met. Showtime!

"Gundam Force, Captain Gundam ready!" Captain yelled as he and Bakunetsumaru landed.

"Bakunetsumaru!" the samurai called out, making the characters appear. "Defender of the just! Electric shadow swords! _Prepare to be undone, evil one!_"

Destroyer was too busy crushing Zero to really acknowledge them. "I'll be right with you."

Zero, however, realized that his teammates had caught him in an unpleasant position.

"Captain!" Shute yelled, "_Do it now!_"

His eyes flaming and fist glowing, Captain launched himself at Destroyer Dom. "_Captain Punch!_"

POW!

The impact of the Punch sent the big lug flying, causing him to drop his sword.

Shute grinned. "Awesome! Now we've got to…"

Shute trailed off when he heard the buzzing. The Bagubagu was right behind him, the swarm now looking like a giant Bagubagu.

"_Tenkyo-Ken!_" Bakunetsumaru unleashed the flaming X, which shot up and cut through the Bagubagu, destroying them.

"Whoa, unbelievable!" Shute whooped, "We're safe!"

Captain picked up Zero's sword and tossed it to him. "Here, Zero!"

"Thanks, Captain!" Zero replied, catching his sword. "Vatras Sword is returned its proper owner!"

"You're lousy sword won't help!" Destroyer yelled, and aimed a Gallop-load of fireworks at the Gundams. "Pretty soon you'll be pushing up strawberries! _Operation: Full-fire!_"

The fireworks ignited, flying at their targets.

"We'll see about that!" Zero retorted, and raised his arms out. "_Vatras Sword, hear me now, lend me your true power!_" A magnificent rune circle appeared over Zero, glowing more elegantly than those summoned previously. Channeling its power, Zero pulled back his glowing sword. "_Secret Arts: Lacroa Crescent! Evil repellent reversal!_"

Zero cut his sword in an arc, sending a crescent-shaped beam of blue light towards Destroyer Dom, cutting through the fireworks. But before it could strike the bulky 'bot, it curved upward, slicing through Annie's Control Horn. The crescent then curved around and down into the giant stone cake. There was a rocky shudder as the two halves slid apart.

Annie's face returned to normal as she looked down at the three invaders. The Zakos were trying to help Destroyer Dom up. No easy feat, considering his girth.

"Get up! Get up, Dom, sir!" the Zakos cried, "Get up! Get up! Zako!"

Destroyer Dom shook, trying to stand. The Lacroa Crescent hadn't hit him, but it sure had been scary! His processor almost suffered a meltdown.

"MY!" Annie said, picking Destroyer up, "YOU ARE FILTHY! THIS IS A KITCHEN! YOU MUST GO!"

Annie smoothly threw each and every Dark Axis robot- and the Gallop- through the hole in the roof, and they landed in a Zakurello Gate that opened just above.

"Finally, those Dark Axis ruffians are gone!" Zero remarked, before turning to the other Gundams.

"You're timely entrance was appreciated, Captain." He said awkwardly.

"It is my duty to lend support." Captain replied.

"Yes," Bakunetsumaru added, "We are as one."

"Nice job, guys!" Shute cheered, "The Gundam Force wins again!"

He heard a door open, and looked up. Sayla had just exited her kitchen, cake in hand.

"Hello, Shute!" She greeted, and held up her cake. "Look!"

Sayla gazed at the battleground. It looked there had been trouble, but Shute and the Gundams had saved the day again. And since it was impolite to talk about someone's troubles, she said, "I'm hoping Mayor Margaret likes the cake I made."

After all, if Shute didn't want to talk about what was going on, she wasn't going to bother him about it.

-z-

Margaret Gathermoon walked down the hall of the cake factory, followed by Prio and Leonardo, both looking quite pale, not an easy trick for a robot like Leonardo.

"Mayor Margaret, we'd like to reschedule your bakery plant inspection," Leonardo babbled, "There's been a mishap, and…"

-z-

"You know," Sayla said to Shute, "Sometimes it's not so easy keeping things a surprise." She could hear Leonardo's panicked jabbering all the way up the scaffold.

"I know!" Shute replied, "But, surprised or not, the Mayor will love your cake, 'Princess' Sayla." He winked.

Sayla giggled. Was _he _going to start calling her princess too?

Zero gazed up at the chattering youngsters and sighed. _Well, at least _this _time I was able to save a princess…_

-z-

"Oh my! Leonardo, you were right!" Mayor Margaret gasped she entered the large room with her aides, "This place is in shambles!"

As she walked around, she saw some shattered plaque on the ground.

"What's this…" She squinted, trying to read the words on the shards. "…'Happy…Birthday'…"

Leonardo and Prio gulped.

Margaret turned and gave her servants a smile that could stop a war. "So _that's _what you've been hiding!"

Prio stood ramrod as Leonardo stuttered. Off to the side, Shute, Sayla, and the Gundams watched.

"You wanted it to be a surprise, how sweet…" Mayor Margaret said, "Thank you, thank you all!"

-z-

"Well, thanks to you guys, everything turned out great!" Shute said to the Gundams as the group went outside. "I've never seen Mayor Margaret so happy, thanks to you guys."

Zero nodded, smiling. "Indeed, I was instrumental in all this, wasn't I? Good thing I was here."

"Are you kidding?" Bakunetsumaru groaned, unable to stand Zero's ego. "All _you _did was get rescued!"

Zero chuckled. "Hardly."

"Hey! I've could've just-!"

"Hey, c'mon, calm down!" Shute cried, "The Mayor will be here any second! So…"

"Don't worry," Zero said, and took Sayla's cake. "Princess, I will deliver your beautiful cake to the Mayor in perfect condition." He took the skies, saying, "You are most welcome!"

"Hey!" Shute yelled, "Where's he going with that cake!" To Zero, he hollered, "You get back here! I want a slice of that cake!"

"Sorry, Shute!" Zero laughed, "But duty calls!"

And Zero flew off, leaving both Bakunetsumaru and Shute to yell after him.

"_At least let me lick the frosting!_"

--End Chapter 8--

A/N: One of the things I could never get was what was the name of Zero's sword. In this episode, he called it his Buster Sword, but in other episodes he called it the Vatras Sword. This sort of inconsistency really annoyed me. However, in the Collectable Card Game, it was called Vatras Sword, so I choose that.


	12. Zako Zako Hour 3

Chapter 8.5: Zako Zako Hour

The curtain rose, but instead of the three normal hosts, the two Zako Soldiers in chef's hats stood in their place. The one on the right had a ladle. The one on the left had a wisk.

"Hello, and welcome to the Zako Zako Hour!" Ladle Zako greeted, "Today's meeting is very special, because…"

"_We are in complete control of today's show!_" Both Zakos declared.

The audience response was not positive.

"Zako?" Wisk Zako asked

"Why are they booing?" Ladle Zako wondered.

Wisk shot his partner an accusing look. "You said the audience would like us!"

"I did _not _say that!" Ladle shot back, and punched Wisk. "Zako!"

"My mistake!" Wisk cried as he went flying, his armor coming off, revealing his skeletal structure.

"Today's meeting is about this!" Ladle announced, and pointed to the screen. It showed a clip of Bagubagu in action.

"Ahh!" Wisk cried, "Bagubagu! Zako!"

"If you explain this well to everyone in the audience," Ladle said to Wisk, "I'll ask Lord Tallgeese to give you his autograph!"

"Lord T? Lord T!" Wisk gasped, "Our most famous warrior!?"

Ladle looked up, very proud. "Yes! _I _have fought besides the great warrior Lord T before, during the invasion of Lacroa!"

"Really? You mean Lacroa where that flying Gundam used to live?" Wisk asked, thinking about Zero.

"If you want Lord T's autograph, give a good explanation of the Bagubagu!" Ladle insisted.

"_I'll do it, I'll do it, I'll doitdoitdoitdoit!_" Wisk giggled, and pointed at a picture of a Bagubagu on the screen. "Now, this creature is the Bagubagu!"

"…And?" Ladle prompted.

Wisk shrugged. "That's all.

"That's _all?_" Ladle asked.

"Uh…yup."

"_That's no good!_" Ladle exploded, "Can't you think of _anything _else?"

"Zako?" Wisk asked.

"For example," Ladle said, "Bagubagu stings organic beings and turns them to stone, understand?"

"Huh, I see." Wisk nodded.

"_And,_" Ladle continued, "There is rumor to be a gigantic Bagubagu in Lacroa!"

"Huh, I see." Wisk nodded.

"You weren't supposed to say, 'Huh, I see'!" Ladle snapped.

"I see."

"Grrr, what about this one!?" Ladle growled, pointing at an image of the Gallop on the screen.

"Ah, I know it I know it!" Wisk gasped, and said, "Well, this is Destroyer Dom's Gallop!"

Ladle stared.

"That's all I have." Wisk admitted.

"_Give a better explanation!_" Shrieked Ladle.

"Zako?"

"Something like, 'The Gallop is the mobile weapons transport of Lord Dom!'" Ladle yelled, "Or, 'It contains a lot of stuff! A beam cannon, a chainsaw, a gripper, and so on!' Or, 'I got beaten up when I threw out his weapons in order to clean the inside!' _Or something like that! You see!?_"

"I see." Wisk nodded.

"Weapons?"

Destroyer Dom suddenly charged across the stage, knocking the Zakos into the sky. "_My weapons!?_"

"_Lord T's autograph…!_" They wailed, becoming a twinkle in the distance.

"And so they became stars." Red Mic narrated.

"How nice." Blue Mic sighed.

"Zako." Yellow Mic commented.

The proper hosts stood in formation on the stage.

"We finally got control back!" Red Mic announced.

"But we weren't in the show today!" The hosts yelled as the curtain slammed down.

"Anyway, everyone," Red Mic said, "For the future of the Dark Axis…"

"_Zako Soldiers, fight! Yeah!_"


	13. Bakunetsumaru's Struggle

Chapter 9: Bakunetsumaru's Struggle

Bell Wood casually set his chopper-ball for autopilot and leaned back, intending to take a well-deserved nap. Just as his eyes closed, he heard a familiar yell, yelling something very familiar.

"Master Bell Wood, wait for me! I wish to speak with you!" Bakunetsumaru hollered, riding Entengo after the chopper. "A man cannot simply abandon his commitment to a task and walk away! It is a breach of honor!"

Bell Wood didn't bother to open his eyes. Turning on the chopper's loudspeaker, he told the Gundam, "But I'm bored with it already!"

"_What! _I cannot believe what I am hearing!" Bakunetsumaru exclaimed, "The Dimensional Transport Device is a noble project, worthy of your brilliant contributions! You cannot forsake it now! You must go back and fix the damage!"

Bell Wood sighed and went to sleep. Before these Gundams started popping out of nowhere, the Device _was _fun to work with. There was no hurry, and Chief Haro never pestered him for status reports, unlike other bosses in the world.

But then the fighting had taken place on his doorstep, and everything went downhill from there. His dream machine busted, and now the guy who busted it was always in his face- like it wasn't _his _fault.

"Give me one good reason why." Bell Wood said simply.

-z-

Deep underneath the ground, progress was being made on another operation. Two large robots were hard at work, tunneling under the city. The one in front, a large, train-like digger with two huge drilling arms paved the way, while the one hooked up behind, a smaller (But still bigger than a car) robot on three ball-like wheels smoothed the tunnel out.

"Grypapa!" the small digger said to the larger, "We're moving much faster than we expected! At this pace, we'll be able to open the Neotopia Metro Highway in just a few days!"

"It certainly looks that way!" The one called Grypapa replied, "You're doing a great job, Gypoh! Just keep backing me up!"

BOOM!

"What's that?" Grypapa looked up at the ceiling of the tunnel. "It felt like an explosion or something!"

There was a sound of something being cut, and a freshly sliced chunk of the earth fell down onto him his front. On it were four little green robots, each carrying a barrel of explosives, maybe.

"Time to kick up a little kick up a little dust!" One Zako Soldier said as another pulled out a Control Horn.

"What are you guys doing down here?" Grypapa asked, "It's dangerous!"

"Oh, ah, we're sorry…" Muttering apologies, the Zakos began to bow.

"Wait, wer're not supposed to apologize!" One cried.

"Right! W-w-w-we're tough guys!" A second yelled.

"Yeah, we're gonna kick dirt on your fender!" A third whooped.

-z-

In the Dark Axis dimension, Zapper and Grappler watched the mission through the Zakurello Gate. Zapper was not pleased.

"Gee, you think our troops need more training?" Zapper sighed.

"They're having trouble focusing on the mission." Grappler grumbled.

Then, a rock floated by with Destroyer on it. He had found where the Zakos had left his weapons, and was working hard to make up for lost time.

"Kapow! Bang-bang-bang!" He giggled, firing his bazookas in the air.

Zapper and Grappler stared at, then at the Gate, and slumped.

"Oh, _boy…_"

-z-

"_We _are…" Zako 1 began.

"A-an elite squadron…" Zako 2 continued.

"In the Dark Axis!" Zako 3 finished.

"Perhaps you've heard of us?" Zako 4 asked, and the four of them struck poses. "We're called…"

"_The Special Team Neotopia Execution Force! Quarda-power!" _the quarter announced.

"Scary, huh?" Zako 4 asked.

"Grypapa," Grypoh asked, "Who are these nerd balls sitting on top of you?"

Grypapa looked from the Zakos to Grypoh. "They say they're here to cause trouble. I think they've landed on the wrong planet."

"Don't move!"

Grypapa turned back to the Zakos, and saw Zako 1 hold up the Control Horn.

"I'm gonna give you a little attitude adjustment." Zako 1 snickered.

Before Grypapa could ask what he meant by that, Zako 1 planted the Horn on, and within crackling minutes, the Horn unfolded, putting him under their control. His eyes red, Grypapa turned and began to tunnel into the wall.

"_Grypapa!_" Grypoh cried as this happened.

As Grypapa bored his way through the earth, the Zakos huddled.

"Here's the plan!" Zako 1 said, "We're gonna dig right below the main part of the city and cause some major damage up on the surface!"

"Zako!" The other three cheered.

Grypoh looked on worriedly. "I don't understand what's wrong with Grypapa, he's acting so weird!"

"You don't say!" Zako 2 snickered, walking up to Grypapa's back with a strange device.

Grypoh's eyes narrowed. "Hey, did you guys do something to loosen my papa's screws?" He demanded, "You better put him back to normal or I'm gonna come up there and knock you out of alignment! I'm not kidding! I'll do it!"

"C-c-c-calm down, junior!" Zako 2 retorted, "I don't think you're going anywhere!"

Zako 2 attached the device to Grypapa's back. It looked somewhat like a smoke detector with a Zako emblem. The eye lit up as it activated.

"Wait a minute!" Grypoh cried, "What's that thing!"

"Oh, nothing much," Zako 2 shrugged, "Just a Dark Axis, custom-made, super-explosive Zako _bomb!_ When we get near the surface, we're gonna set it off and take out a few city blocks! You and you're father are gonna have a close-up view of the explosion. It's gonna be very interesting, don't you think?"

"You've flipped your microchip!" Grypoh yelled, "I'm not gonna let you do this!"

"Q-q-quiet!" Zako 2 whipped out a battle ax. "It's time for you to say _goodbye!_"

Zako 2 flung the ax at the couplings holding Grypapa and Grypoh together, breaking it. Wailing, Grypoh tumbled further and further behind as the Grypapa bore on.

"_Grypapa!_"

-z-

"Please, Bell Wood!" Bakunetsumaru cried, getting in the scientist's face. "Without the Dimensional Transport Device, how will I be able to get back to the land of Ark!"

Bell Wood had landed in order to face the samurai one last time. Now he was beginning to regret it.

"Surely there exists within you a sympathetic heart that can understand my desperation!" Bakunetsumaru continued, "I cannot bear this intense feeling of homesickness that saturates my circuits! To know my homeland is in danger, and yet be unable to help has left me reeling with frustration! Here we are, allied together against the insidious Dark Axis, and yet you don't seem to appreciate the depth of my disp- _Where did you go!_"

Bell Wood had already began to saunter back to the chopper

"Aren't you listening to me, Bell Wood!" Bakunetsumaru exclaimed, and leapt in front of the scientist, baring his way. "Wait! What do you mean by walking away like that? I wasn't done orating!"

Bell Wood grew angry. Who did this jerk think he was?" Well, you can orate all you want! But I'm not changing my mind!"

"You're more stubborn than my horse Entengo!" Bakunetsumaru yelled.

Entengo whinnied. Why were they dragging _him _into this?

"Oh_, yeah!_" Bell Wood snapped.

"At least _he _understands the concept of loyalty!"

"I can be as loyal as the next person can be!"

"The _next person_ would fix the Dimensional Transport-!"

Before the argument could go any further, there was an explosion of dirt. Grypapa's arms poked out of the earth and stayed there as two Zako Soldiers climbed them and took a look around.

"We've almost made it to the city!" Zako 1 reported.

"Let's blast ahead!" Zako 2 yelled, "A few more tons of earth, and we'll have a great victory!"

"I'll shift it into high-gear!" Zako 3 yelled from the base of Grypapa.

"There's not a moment to lose!" Zako 2 yelled as he and Zako 1 slid down the arms, "We have a tactical advantage!"

Grypapa's drills began to spin.

"What in the world…" Bakunetsumaru groaned, and yelled with Bell Wood as they and Entengo leapt out of the way. Grypapa crawled up on the surface, landing where they had been standing before burrowing back down.

"Did you see what was on that machine as it went by!" Bakunetsumaru asked Bell Wood as they stared at the hole. "They looked like Zako Soldiers!"

There was another yell, and Baku' and Bell stared as Grypoh pulled himself out of the first hole.

"_Come back, Grypapa!_" Grypoh screamed, "_Don't do this!_"

"What is that!" Bakunesumaru cried.

"Offhand," Bell Wood replied, "I'd have to say it's a Grypstop digging machine."

Bakunetsumaru, intrigued, marched up to Grypoh.

"Good afternoon," Grypoh greeted Baku', "My name is Grypoh."

"Greetings, earth-mover. I am Bakunetsumaru, and this is Bell Wood." Bakunetsumaru introduced.

A light bulb lit over Bell Wood. "Now I see!" he said, snapping his fingers. "The machine that came through here is a newer model digging device; the Grypas-1."

"It's Grypapa, not Grypas!" Grypoh corrected, "And he's being controlled by those terrible little robots! I think they're from another city!"

"Just as I thought," Bakunetsumaru said, "Zako Soldiers from the Dark Axis!"

"They're on their way to the city center right now!" Grypoh continued, and began to cry. "They're gonna set off a bomb! They want to destroy all of Neotopia! They're not very nice and they're in a really bad mood!"

"Did you say a bomb!" Bell Wood cried, his attention now grabbed.

As Grypoh sobbed, Bakunetsumaru said, "Master Grypoh, would you please stop crying? It's very difficult to formulate a solution to our problem when you're busy shorting out your solid-state circuitry. Trust me, a real man wouldn't cry at a time like this!" Baku leaned up to Bell Wood and whispered, "He _is _a man, is he not?"

"That's not important right now!" Bell Wood snapped, "We need to deal with the bomb!"

Bakunetsumaru nodded. "Right!"

Calming down, but still teary, Grypoh said, "They talked about detonating the bomb where it would do the most damage, and it's mounted on Grypapa's outer shell!"

"_What?_" Bakunetsumaru gasped, horrified.

"If there's anything either of you can do to help, please save Grypapa, _please!_" Grypoh requested, "He's the only father I've ever know, and I love him very much!"

As he spoke, Bakunetsumaru imagined the two digging machines driving home at sunset, glad to be in each other's company. To think that the Dark Axis would tamper with such a bond…

"If he's destroyed…" Grypoh sniffed, "I don't know what'd I'll do without him…"

Bell Wood saw tears form and groaned. "Oh, now don't start crying again!"

Bell Wood then heard another set of sniffling, coming from...Bakunetsumaru?

"What?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "Now _you're _cryin'?"

"W-why, no!" Bakunetsumaru said quickly, collecting himself. "I was simply clearing my equity channels! Ha! Crying!"

Bell Wood rolled his eyes. "Yeah…"

Now serious, Bakunetsumaru said to Grypoh, "Do not trouble yourself, young sir! We will rescue your father at once and reunite the two of you!"

"_Huh!_" Bell Wood gave Bakunetsumaru a quick look. "What do you mean, _we?_"

"We need a person who can deactivate the bomb." Bakunetsuamru explained as if it was simple.

"Well, that isn't gonna be me!" Bell Wood said, turning away. "I can tell you that right now! I don't want any part of this!"

"How can you refuse?" Bakunetsumaru admonished, "Do you not appreciate this boy's feelings?"

"I _appreciate _I could get blown up!" Bell Wood snapped, whirling at the Musha Gundam. "I don't know how to deactivate a bomb!"

"You have my complete confidence." Bakunetsumaru assured.

"That won't mean squat if I blow us up," Bell Wood said, crossing his arms. "No way! I'm not going with you!"

Bakunetsumaru, however, was done talking. In one quick movement, he grabbed the tanned genius and shoved him onto Entego's saddle before hopping on himself. Then they were galloping off.

"Stop that!" Bell Wood protested, "I'm not goin'! Whoa, Nellie, let me down from here!"

As the horse-riding Gundam and his unwilling partner made toward the hole Grypapa dug, Grypoh rolled after them.

"You've gotta take me with you!" The young robot cried.

As Entengo jumped down the hole ("WHOA!" Bell Wood cried) Grypoh yelled, "Hey, wait-" Grypoh's protests were cut off as he fell down. "Whoooooaaaa! Ow ow ow!"

-z-

Further down, but still falling, Bell Wood clung to Bakunetsumaru as tight as he could, staring fear struck at the depth that still remained. He then heard screaming that wasn't his, looked up, and saw Grypoh coming down from above.

"_He's gonna fall on us!_" Bell Wood screamed into Bakunetsumaru's ears, or where the ears should be.

"What?" Bakunetsumaru asked over the ringing.

"Grypoh's heading for us!" Bell Wood yelled, "We're gonna get squashed!"

Bakunetsumaru looked up and saw the tumbling digger. Looking down, his brain made the connection.

"There's only one way to slow us down!" He decided, and unsheathed his swords. Jumping out of the saddle, Bakunetsumaru stabbed his blades into the rock, hoping to act as a net to catch Grypoh while Entengo and Bell Wood made a much less painful landing. Grypoh hit his body, forcing him down further.

No sooner had Entengo landed did Bakunetsumaru landed back in the saddle, holding Grypoh up. It was a shakey landing, but they were all right, relatively speaking.

"Are you all right, Master Grypoh?" Bakunetsumaru asked.

Grypoh, his eyes spinning, said, "Uhhhh, I'll be fine… Don't worry about me…Please try to save my father…"

-z-

On Grypapa, the Zakos cheered as the large digger tunneled through the rock. They were doing it! And best of all, no one would find out until it was too late!

"_Halt!_"

Startled, the Zakos looked behind to see that pesky Musha Gundam and his horse coming up from behind! They also noticed that human from the big spinning thing was with him as well…

"Faster, Entengo!" Bakunetsumaru urged.

"A Gundam!" Shrieked Zako 1," And he's after us!"

Spotting the Zakos, Bakunetsumaru exclaimed, "The Dark Axis _is _behind this!"

Panicking, one Zako dumped out one of the barrels of explosives, scattering them across the ground.

Bell Wood gasped as he saw the lit fuses. "How many are there!" He gulped.

The bombs went off just as Entengo was about halfway through the load.

"Hahaha! They bit the dust! _Literally!_" Zako 1 cheered.

Zako 2 held up his hand in a 'cup around the ear' gesture. "Ah, do you hear something…?"

It sounded like coughing and hoof steps, the former being supplied by Bell Wood. While Entengo's fancy hoof steps had prevented an fatal injury, the smoke was murder on the genius' lungs.

"Do I need to remind you that explosive devices are dangerous to my health!" Bell Wood wheezed.

"We'll have to be more aggressive then, so they can't throw them at us!" Bakunetsumaru decided.

Grabbing Bell Wood, Bakunetsumaru leapt from Entengo's saddle, landing on Grypapa's head. Knocking off a Zako Soldier stationed there, Bakunetsumaru let Bell Wood down and yelled, "Take that, Dark Axis!"

Bell Wood, however, didn't have the Musha Gundam's sense of balance, and tumbled, saved from falling off only by the railing around Grypapa's back.

"Bell Wood!" Bakunetsumaru cried, ignoring the Zakos' laughter. "Are you all right?"

"Ugh…" Bell Wood tried to come to his senses, not an easy thing to do when you're hanging halfway upside down on a railing.

"Oh, yeah. I'm just peachy keen." He muttered sarcastically. Then he saw the device. _Even upside down, that looks like a bomb to me! Why do I get the feeling this won't end well?_

"Hey, you! Get lost!" Zako 1 yelled, and his teammates began to fiddle with the Horn. Grypapa halted, throwing Bakunetsumaru off his perch, landing next to Bell Wood by the railing. Grypapa spread out his arms.

"_Centrifugal Force!_" The Zakos cried, and began to twist the Horn around. Grypapa began to spin, going faster and faster. As he did, his arms dug out a much larger room out of the tunnel they made. Bakunetsumaru and Bell Wood were forced to fling to the railings as they went around and around and around. Off to the side, some rocks were brought down from the ceiling, blocking off the previous part of the tunnel, with Entengo trapped on the other side.

-z-

A mobile citizen Grypapa's size couldn't go off course without anyone noticing, so when someone _did _notice, calls were made. The SDG was deemed the only peace-keeping team equipped to handle a machine like Grypapa, so the Gundam Force was called out to confront the rampaging digger. Since there was no confirmation of Dark Axis involvement, it would just be Shute, Captain and Gunbike. Zero would stay behind to keep an eye on the surface while the first team would go underground. They were currently in the tunnel Grypapa made.

Up ahead, Grypoh continued his lone chase, having been left behind by Bakunetsumaru.

"Grypapa!" Grypoh yelled, "I know you must have come this way, but I don't see any sign of you! Can you hear me!"

"You there, mobile citizen!" A hard voice from behind yelled, "Stop, immediately!"

Grypoh did so, and Gunbike drove up beside him.

"Who are you?" Captain asked.

"My name is Grypoh, and I'm in the middle of searching for my father, Grypapa!" Grypoh explained. He pointed ahead. "I'm pretty sure he went down this way!"

"Grypapa?" Shute asked.

"According to the report," Captain answered, "That's the name of the 'bot who's causing the disruption down here."

"But it was these nasty little guys, and took him over and made him go crazy!" Grypoh yelled quickly, trying to absolve his father of any responsibility.

Shute needed no explanation for _that_. 'Nasty little guys' could only be one thing. "Sounds like Zako Soldiers!"

"We have to hurry!" Grypoh yelled, rolling forward, "They have a bomb, and they're gonna blow him up!"

"A bomb!" Shute gasped.

"We _do _have to hurry!" Gunbike yelled, and darted forward. "The Dark Axis must be planning something real horrible! Hook up to me, Grypoh, and hold real tight! We gotta move fast!"

"All right! Let's go!" Grypoh yelled, and took a firm grip onto Gunbike's missile launcher.

"Captain…" Shute looked at Captain and nodded. It was time for the Soul Drive.

"Powered up!" Gunbike yelled and blasted forward, with Grypoh clinging on for dear life.

-z-

"I think we overdid it on the spinning, zako…" Zako 1 groaned, his eye spinning. "Maybe we should've just run him over…that would've been easier…"

"I-I don't see him anymore…" Zako 2 remarked, "I guess our m-m-maneuver g-got him…

That was a misconception. Bakunetsumaru had been flung from Grypapa, flying far away, but was still alive.

Getting up from where he had landed, he yelled, "You knaves shall feel the sting of my sword!"

The Zakos heard that and began to fiddle with the Horn, driving Grypapa toward the samurai.

"We'er gonna finish you off!" Zako 1 yelled back, "In one shot!"

On the back, Bell Wood was just recovering from the spinning.

"Aw, man…what a bad day!" He groaned, sitting up. As he did, he took one look at the device and reeled back. "Whoa! That is definitely a bomb! Looks to me like our side is in big trouble!"

Meanwhile, Bakunetsumaru had unsheathed his swords, and was making a charge at the large digger.

"Get him, Grypapa!" Zako 1 ordered.

Grypapa launched his right drill at Bakuentsumaru, but the Musha Gundam leapt over it and began to run along his arm. He didn't get far when the _left arm _smashed him against the wall.

"That's just the first punch!" Zako 1 yelled, "Here's number 2!"

Grypapa's right shot forward, and at the same time Bakunetsumaru leapt out from the hole in the wall. The two mighty forces met, and Bakunetsumaru dueled against the drill for a few moments before being knocked back again. He hit the wall with a thud.

Back on Grypapa's back, Bell Wood regarded the device with unease.

"I told him not to bring me down here!" Bell Wood cursed, "I've never seen this type of bomb! I don't know what to do with it!"

The device lit up and crackled with purple electricity, causing Bell Wood to jump back in alarm.

Up front, the Zakos stared nastily down at Bakunetsumaru's prone form.

"Lo-ser!" Zako 1 taunted, "We'd thought you'd go for at least _two _rounds!"

With a groan, Bakunetsumaru forced himself up. _I have no choice but to take off one or both of Grypapa's arms! _

Getting into stance, Bakunetsumaru said, "Prepare for defeat. _Kenpu! Tenkyo-Ken!_

Slicing a fiery X into the air, Bakunetsumaru charged forward, yelling, "_For the honor of the Gundam Force!_"

Grypapa's arms shot forward, this time loaded with grenades. Bakunetsumaru flew past them, striking so quickly that the explosion didn't happen until he landed _behind _Grypapa.

But Grypapa's arms were made to take heavy impacts. Out of the smoke an arm shot out, catching Bakunetsumaru and crashing him into the wall!

The Zakos cheered.

"All right, boys!" Zako 1 yelled, "Let's get this show on the road!"

As Grypapa turned around to set off, Bell Wood continued to panic.

"This is hopeless!" the genius cried, "I can't disarm it! I've got no business being here in the first place!"

Bell Wood turned and was about to jump ship when he saw Bakunetsumaru get up. He paused and raised an eyebrow at the sight.

"I…I'm not through yet!" Bakunetsumaru yelled.

"Looks that way to me," Bell Wood remarked.

"You think I'm defeated, Dark Axis, but I'm not!" Bakunetsumaru continued, "A samurai never gives up! I will fight until the very end!"

The Zakos had very good hearing. Turning Grypapa around, Zako 1 asked, "So, you haven't had enough, is that what you're saying?"

"How about a game of pop-up!" Zako 3 yelled.

"Are you ready?" Zako 2 asked, pulling out a battle ax. "Here comes the first one, hope you have your glove on!"

Zako 3 tossed a grenade in the air, and Zako 2 batted it forward. The bomb exploded as it reached the ceiling, sending tons of rock down towards Bakunetsumaru.

"What treachery is this!" Bakunetsumaru cried.

Bell Wood gulped. This was it…!

Then, the wall exploded open, and Gunbike zoomed out towards Baku'.

"Grab on!" Shute yelled.

As Gunbike passed, Bakunetsumaru took hold, and the motorcycle pulled him out of harm's way.

Letting go, Bakunetsumaru cried, "My compatriots!"

"Bakunetsumaru, are you all right?" Shute asked.

"Yes!" Bakunetsumaru nodded, "Thanks!"

Bell Wood smiled. Maybe it was the reinforcements, but now he was starting to feel hope. Maybe this would work out after all.

"Now for that bomb!" He decided.

But the Zakos were not moved.

"We'll just have to take them _all _out!" Zako 2 yelled, "_Charge!_"

As Grypapa tore forward the Gundams, Bell Wood got to work. Using a swiss army knife's screwdriver, he began to open up the device's case.

"It burns!" He winced as more sparks came. "I'll have to do this real carefully…"

Bakunetsumaru leapt at Grypapa, as Zako 2 batted more bombs But gunfire from Captain's helmet destroyed the explosives before they could reach the ceiling, rendering the attack useless. Amid the explosions, Bakunetsumaru descended onto the panicking Zakos.

Bell Wood continued to work, and grinned as he removed the last screw. Taking off the device's case, he stared not at the array of complex wiring he had expected, but at three red sticks tied together with a lit fuse.

_What? Dynamite? That's low tech…_ Bell Wood thought, _But low tech or not, if it goes off, it's gonna hurt!_

Up front, swords enflaming, Bakunetsumaru sliced the Control Horn to pieces, sending the Zakos flying with the explosion.

"Okay, we surrender!" Zako 2 groaned as Grypapa halted.

"All right!" Shute cheered.

The Zakos had no time to get up before Grypapa took hold of all four of them, squeezing the lot together.

"We're sorry! We apologize!" Zako 2 wailed in pain as both samurai and digger glared at them.

"It's too late for your apologies!" Bakunetsumaru said firmly, "You must be punished for your deeds!"

"W-we were just following orders! Give us a break!"

"No!" Bakunetsumaru yelled, "Your behavior is inexcusable!"

"That's not very nice!" Quivered Zako 2," What are you gonna do!"

-z-

On the surface, a family of deer watched in shock as the ground exploded, sending up four little green robots.

Bell Wood climbed up out of the hole Grypapa made and looked up. In his hands was the dynamite.

"_Hey, you forgot somethin'!_" The genius yelled, and threw the dynamite up.

The Zakos stopped screaming when they saw the dynamite fly up between them. The skies lit up in a fantastic fireworks display, worthy of a Chinese New Years.

-z-

Down below, Grypoh rolled up uneasily behind the larger digger. He had been told to stay back by Gunbike, but now that the fighting was over, it was safe…right?

"Grypapa?" Grypoh called out nervously. Was his papa still crazy…?

Grypapa turned his head around. "Grypoh!"

"Is it really you?" Grypoh asked, his voice wavering. "Are you all right…?"

Sobbing, Grypoh rolled up to Grypapa as quickly as he could. Father and son embraced.

"Papa!" Grypoh wailed.

"I'm sorry you had to go through all this, Grypoh," Grypapa said, "But it's okay, I'm fine now."

"_I was so worried!_" Grypoh sobbed.

From behind, the SDG watched the reunion with pride.

"I'm glad that's over." Shute commented.

Captain nodded. "I agree."

"Well, they'll think twice before they mess with us next time!" Bell Wood shrugged.

"You preformed well, Master Bell Wood." Bakunetsumaru told him.

"Hey, we _both _did well against those guys." Bell Wood corrected kindly. After a moment, he said, "Actually, _you're _the one who did very well."

Bakunetsumaru was impressed by this show of humility and cleared his throat. "I hope you learned something from this, about the persistence it takes to complete a task when faced with overwhelming obstacles. And that you'll _apply _this lesson," He added meaningfully, "To the repair of the Dimensional Transport Device."

Bell Wood, however, wasn't listening. He was riding Entengo as the horse trotted away.

"Glad you showed up, Entengo!" Bell Wood chuckled, and yawned. "I could really use a nap…"

"Entengo, stay right where you are!" Bakunetsumaru yelled hotly, and began to chase after them. "Master Bell Wood, this is entirely unacceptable! You have to pay attention when I talk to you! _Is anybody listening?_"


	14. Zako Zako Hour 4

Chapter 9.5: Zako Zako Hour

"Ladies and gentlebots," Red Mic said as he and the other hosts bowed. "Welcome to the Zako Zako Hour! Today's meeting is all about…"

"_Hey! You idiots!_"

The hosts jumped in fright as Zapper Zaku leapt onstage.

"I never get to show myself off at these meetings!" Zapper roared, "Are you ignoramuses forgetting about _me!?_"

"Of course not, Lord Zapper Zaku!" The hosts insisted, "We could never forget about you!"

"Look at this!" Zapper pointed at the screen, which display a clip of him firing his gatling gun. Pulling it out, he yelled, "Hey, you morons! Whaddya think of this cool gatling gun!"

"Ooh…zako!" The hosts said in awe.

"This is the gatling gun of Lord Zapper Zaku," Blue Mic explained to the audience, "It projects very big bullets that –take it from me- hurt!"

Zapper then pulled out his machine guns. "Next we have _these _two beauties!"

"These are Lord Zapper Zaku's beloved machine guns, Zako!" Yellow Mic explained, "It suits Lord Zapper Zaku who loves to shoot! Bang-bang, zako!"

"Don't forget about _this!_" Zapper yelled, pulling out his personal battle ax.

"This is Lord Zapper Zaku's dreadful heat hawk-" Red Mic explained, "that's sharp enough to cut off _anything_, zako!"

"That's just the _beginning _of my arsenal!" Zapper bragged. "I have more, and more, and still _more!_"

Zapper's right shoulder pad, the one without spikes, opened up, showing a pair of small missiles.

"Wow!" Yellow Mic exclaimed, "More and more and _more?_"

Zapper fired the missiles, which flew at a hastily-built effigy of Captain Gundam chanting 'I am Captain Gundam!' over and over again.

BOOM!

"Yay! He blew up the Gundam!" Red Mic cried.

"Just as long as he's not blowing us up, zako!" Blue Mic shivered.

Zapper held up his weapons with pride. "So now you see the amazing variety of Lord Zapper Zaku's weaponry! So that's why I ask…" He began to cry. "How come I don't get to make a lot of appearences!?"

"Would you stop your whining?" Grappler Gouf, sneered, stepping up onstage. He flexed his claw. "_That's _why you don't get to appear so much."

A Zako cook from the previous show popped up behind. "Zako!"

"Grappler Gouf!" Zapper snarled.

"Look at this!" Grappler pointed at the screen, which showed clips of his battles. "You see the_ austere_ elegance of me, Lord Gouf? Unlike you, I'm classy and look ten times better on camera. You know what I mean? I'm what they call _photogenic_.

The Zako cook scuttled up and replaced Grappler's claw arm with his normal-looking arm. "Missile-arm, zako!"

"More photogenic, huh!?" Zapper snorted angrily.

Grappler activated his missile launcher and took aim. "It just makes sense that I get more scenes than you."

"_What!?_" Zapper whipped out his gatling gun and took aim.

Zako cook panicked and took off. The curtain fell down.

"Say cheese, metal maggot!" Grappler yelled.

"Eat lead, titanium twit!" Zapper shot back.

The curtain shook at the force of the explosions happening behind it. When it came back up, only the hosts were on the now scorched stage.

"I think it's a good idea to end the meeting now!" Red Mic gulped.

Too late. Destroyer Dom was onstage now, armed with two bazookas.

"I'm dah most photogenic!" He bellowed, "Take a picture of me blasting _you!_"

The hosts panicked as shells were fired all over the stage. The curtain went down again to protect the audience. When it came back up, Zapper, Grappler and Destroyer were standing over each host, Zapper on the left, Grappler on the right, and Destroyer in the center.

"All right, , you're the pretty one…" Zapper and Grappler sighed.

Destroyer preened. "I'm pretty!"

The curtain fell down again, this time for good.

"Anyway, everyone!" Red Mic coughed, "For the future of the Dark Axis…"

"_Zako Soldiers, fight! Yeah!_"

--End chapter—

A/n: this is my favorite ZZH. There's nothing more endearing than a bunch of jerks demanding more screen time. Maybe I just love these blows against the fourth wall.


	15. Gundam Force Triple Attack!

Chapter 10: Gundam Force Triple Attack!

One sunny day, Shute sat outside at his laptop. He groaned, shutting his eyes. After a minute, he poked one open. No good. The laptop was still there. He groaned again.

Captain, in mobile citizen mood, walked over, concerned. "What is it that's bothering you? Is it a headache, or-"

"Yeah, I'll say it's a headache, a big one!" Shute cried, "Mom's making me write an _essay _for homework!"

Keiko didn't look up from her own laptop. "Oh, come on, Shute. It's an essay on friendship, how hard is that? You have _lots _of friends." It was true. The problem was that Shute spent more time in his workshop than with his friends. At least, that was the problem before, but now it seemed like he was always running off with his newest friends.

Shute brightened. "Good idea! They can help me write it!"

"That's right- Hmm?" Now Keiko looked up. That was _not _what she meant.

"Captain," Shute clasped his hands together and turned to his Gundam friend. "Can you help me? _Please?_"

"Gladly, Shute," Captain agreed, "But first you will have to explain to me what exactly is meant by this term friendship."

Shute opened his mouth, but no sound came out. His train of thought had derailed.

"It is a difficult concept to define?" Captain asked.

"Uhh, no, not at all," Shute replied, "It just means…two people who get along really well!"

"I see," Captain nodded, "And where do they get along too?"

Shute's mind spun as he tried to gather his thoughts together. "…No! It's like there's no one else they'd rather hang out with than each other!"

"Hang out?"

"Sit around!" Shute tried to explain, "Laugh at each other's jokes!" He gave a forced laugh as an example.

"Ah, like this?" Captain began to emit a stilted and rather motorized laugh, vibrating. "Heeheeheeheeheehahahahahohohoho…"

Shute stared. "Yeah, something like that…"

"_Nonsense!_"

Shute and Captain jumped as Bakunetsumaru joined the discussion.

"One warriors friendship for another is like an unquenchable flame that devours all enemies that would come between them!" Bakunetsumaru yelled, brandishing his swords.

"Uh, that's _one_ way to look at it…" Shute said, sweating. Then he realized that the heat wasn't coming from Bakunetsumaru. Captain's military training did not include data on metaphors. He walked away and came back with the grill, now aflame.

"So, you would say that friendship causes a burning sensation?" Captain asked.

"_Wrong!_"

Bakunetsumaru jumped as roses sprouted all over him. "Oh, you…!"

Zero floated into the scene and said, "True friendship is like a cool, pure, unwavering light."

"Cool?" Bakunetsumaru muttered, ripping roses off.

"A light that is not seen in the eye, but felt in the heart-"

"Heart!"

"-And most deeply when the eyes are closed." Zero finished grandly.

"Eyes!"

Captain looked down at the grill and dosed the fire.

"…So, it is _not _a burning sensation." He mused, confused.

"No!" Shute groaned, "It's not like-!"

Shute had no time to explain to Captain what metaphors were when Bakunetsumaru began to chase Zero around.

"Come back here and taste my blade, impertinent puppy!" He bellowed, "I'll show you what friendship is!"

"Come on, guys!" Shute yelled, "Cut it out!" Glaring at Keiko, he said, "Satisfied? See what you've done, mom?"

Keiko looked up from her computer. She had gotten back to work when it became apparent that the essay would be even _harder_ for Shute with help.

"I told you this essay was a bad idea!" Shute groaned, and rushed to break up the fight- again.

Off to the side, Gunbike and Entengo watched the action from a safe distance.

"You may know what friendship is," Gunbike remarked sagely, "We just don't talk about it."

Entengo snorted. Indeed.

-z-

"We're sorry, Commander!"

"Really, really sorry!"

"Sorry's not _good enough!_"

On the deck of the _Magnamusai_, the Zako Soldiers covered their eyes to avoid watching the spectacle. Zapper, Grappler and Destroyer were having another conference with the Commander's hologram, and so far the discussion was limited to the trio's screams of pain as the Commander's fannels zapped them.

"What is our mission?" the Commander asked sternly, stopping the fannels. "To destroy or enslave every robot in every dimension, and thus gain domination over the entire universe!"

The three squad leaders lay in a scorched pile.

"Well," Zapper coughed, "That's the general idea…"

"Yet, time after time, you have failed," The Commander hissed, "Instead of conquerors, we are becoming laughingstocks."

"Commander, I swear, it's not my fault, I tell you!" Zapper cried, standing up quickly. "It's this incompetent bucket head I'm forced to work with!" He gestured at Grappler Gouf and went on. "This idiot does nothing but get in my way-!"

"Listen to _you!_" Grappler interrupted hotly, "_You're _the one who does nothing! All you do is talk-talk-talk and strut around like a big man!"

The two of them were once again in each other faces.

"Listen to me, you tin-plated pin head…!" Zapper snarled.

"…As worthless as a pile rusty of nails!" Grappler finished.

Zapper whirled at Destroyer and yelled, "Don't just stand there, speak up! You've seen this nitwit in action, how many times has he managed to bungle our plans!"

Destroyer cocked his head in confusion. "Huh?"

Now the two were in _Destroyer's _face.

"Great," Zapper ranted, "I'm surrounded by robots as smart as…!"

"As dumb as _he _is…!" Grappler began.

"_Silence!_" The Commander screamed, and had his fannels blast the officers. "This constant bickering is the source of your failure! You will work as a unit, combine your powers, destroy the Gundams, or _you will be destroyed!_"

The Zakos gulped. Why couldn't the Commander assign an easier task, like turning lead into gold?

-z-

Zapper, Grappler and Destroyer, with nothing else to do and not feeling comfortable enough to talk, choose to watch footage from their missions, as captured by Zako Soldiers. Needless to say, the videos of their lost battles did not improve their disposition very much.

"Oh, enough home movies!" Zapper yelled at last, "Just go ahead and turn that thing off, it's too depressing. Only reminds me of how much I hate those Gundams…"

Grappler however, was thinking. In each battle, the Gundams operated separately, and when forced together, ended up tripping over their own feet. They certainly did on the train…

"Maybe's the Commander's right," He mused, "If we combine our powers…" Then he got it. "That's it! We'll come up with a signature move!"

And they did. The trio leapt into formation.

"Zapper Zaku!"

"Grappler Gouf!"

"Dah…!"

"Presenting the _Dark Axis Rainbow Doom Boom!_" They yelled, and fired off a blast. It looked very impressive, but would it work in combat?

A Zako Soldier with TV antennas tapped to his helmet, carrying a video camera and ironing board shuffled up.

"I have been granted a special dispensation by authorities to use firearms to defend Neotopia from invasion and…" The Zako posing as Captain trailed off. "And, uh, ooh, zako…"

Another Zako leaned in and whispered, "Say 'You will lay down your weapons and withdraw at once' zako."

The Zako actor nodded. "You will lay down your weapons and withdraw at once. Zako!" He finished, posing.

"Captain, my old nemesis!" Zapper chuckled, enjoying the 'simulation'. "You're in for an unpleasant surprise, today!"

He and the others fired their new move, blasting the poor Zako away.

"Hmm, that went rather well, I thought." Zapper commented.

"Yeah, not bad at all!" Grappler snickered.

"Ho there, you villains!"

The trio looked up. A Zako Soldier, wearing a hardhat with a flower ring, clutching an egg beater in one hand and a garbage can lid in the other, floated in the air, held aloft by some wire and a pole brought up by two other Zakos.

"I am Zero, Winged Knight of Lacroa!" the Zako cried as he swung helplessly, "You are no match for my mighty sword, you fiendish, um, _fiends!_"

Grappler sneered playfully. "Aw, we're more than a match for you now that we've got…"

"The _Dark Axis Rainbow Doom Boom!_" Zapper finished.

"Everybody ready?" Grappler asked.

"Okay!" Destroyer chirped, eager to blast something else.

"_Zako!_" The poor Zero stand-in wailed as he and his helpers were blasted away. As the smoke cleared, a clearly distressed little Zako appeared, clutching two squeegees like swords, with a bent pipe tapped to his head. Behind him was a pair of Zakos wearing a cardboard pony costume, like children in a play who hadn't gone to their parents for help.

"I-I am Bakusnatsu…" He tried to say his lines, but was too nervous, from stage-fright or what had happened to the first two test subjects. "Snakematsu…Th-th-the samurai guy with the horse! _No!_"

POW!

"Ooh, that felt _good!_" Zapper giggled as the samurai-wannabe went flying.

"Yeah, I could get used to this!" Grappler agreed.

Now brimming with confidence, the trio struck a pose. "Watch out, Gundams! The Dark Axis is _coming!_"

Off to the side, the pile of 'test subjects' groaned.

"Good idea," One of them said, "You go, we'll stay here…"

"We leave at once!" Zapper decided, and began to bark orders. "Stow that ammo, start the engines, clear the decks, batten the hatches! And so on."

Like a fire brigade, a line of Zako Soldiers formed, passing barrels of grenades, missiles, and other arms down towards the _Komusai_. By the time they were done, the ship was so full of weaponry that it took two Zakos just to force the hatch shut.

"You there, dumpster head!" Zapper barked at a passing Zako, "Have you tin cans loaded the weapons and every bit of ammunition on board?"

The Zako saluted. "It's all stowed aboard, sir. Everything that goes into the bay, Zako."

Zapper nodded. "Good. _We're outta here!_"

The _Komusai _launched, and flew up to the main ship's deck to be boarded.

"Full speed ahead! Full throttle!" Zapper yelled as he and his partners jumped on top. "Next stop, victory!"

"Those Gundams won't know what hit 'em!" Grappler crowed.

The Zakos waved goodbye for their leaders. "Have a nice trip! We'll miss you!"

But the _Komusai _didn't go ten kilometers before it began to wobble in the air.

"S-sizzling search box!" Zapper cried as the trio tried to keep balance, "What's happening!"

"We're a little unstable with all that ammo on board!" Grappler told him, just figuring it out.

And so, at a much slower pace to keep steady, the _Komusai _flew at the active Zakurello Gate.

"_Well!_" Zapper yelled back, "How about a little support, you morons!"

The Zakos, a bit unsure, waved their arms and sang, "Zapper Zaku, he's our man, if he can't do it, nobody can…"

They stopped as soon as the smaller ship vanished into the Gate.

-z-

By some immense coincidence, the Gate opened up over the very same factory Captain defeated Zapper in at the beginning of the conflict.

"First we'll have to get the Gundams' attention," Zapper said, "When they come running, we'll…"

The _Komusai_, once free of the Zakurello Gate, went into a nosedive.

"We're over the weight-limit for this atmosphere!" Grappler screamed in horror.

The ship crashed into dead-center into the factory, saved from the inevitable explosion by virtue of being so tightly packed that the explosives hadn't realized they'd been jostled.

"Whoa, what was that?" One mobile worker asked.

A group of workers gathered around the ship, which was sticking out of the pavement like a sour thumb.

"Better send for the clean-up crew." One shouted.

Zapper, with a groan, got to his feet. Seeing the crowd they had attracted, he whipped out his gatling gun.

"What are you staring at, this isn't a show!" He began to fire. "_I'll give you a show!_"

Panicking, the workers scattered. But the chaos had only just begun. Destroyer soon had his bazookas out, firing shells every which way, causing plumes of smoke from the explosions. And those that escaped from Zapper soon found themselves being chased by Grappler, who had his claw-arm pointed at them.

"Stand still," Grappler snapped, "You'll spoil my aim!"

And so, Grappler and Destroyer ran around, cutting and blasting everything they saw. On top of the _Komusai_, Zapper laughed maniacally. So far, so good!

-z-

Captain's V-fin flashed as an alert came in.

"SDG Base here! There's been an attack at the factory district! Mobilize!"

"An attack?" Shute cried.

Captain nodded at the message. "Right, let's get moving! Oh, sorry. I forgot you have homework."

"Yeah, but, you know, first things first!" Shute replied eagerly. No 4th grader wouldn't leap at the chance to dodge an assignment like this.

"No doubt our friends the Dark Axis once again!" Zero decided.

Bakunetsumaru clenched his fists. "Spawn of evil! They shall taste my blade!"

"What are you fellows going on about _now?_" Keiko asked, raising an eyebrow.

The Gundam Force jumped. They had completely forgotten about _her!_

"Oh- Uh…nothing!" Shute gulped.

"Captain, why did your head light up like that?" She asked, "Do you feel all right?"

"Oh, that…uh…" Shute's mind raced for an answer. "Uh, you're right, mom! We'd better get him to a doctor!"

"Let me see if he has a temperature." Keiko suggested, and walked up to Captain to see if his internal processor was overheating.

"No, stay away!" Shute cried.

"Shute is right!" Zero said as he and Bakunetsumaru barred Keiko's way. "It might be something contagious!"

"Yes, it's, uh, safer if you leave him to us!" Bakunetsumaru said, playing along. Subterfuge was not the samurai's strong point, but he could play along if need be.

"What are you talking about?" Captain asked, confused. "I feel fi-"

"It's probably just, uh, too much sun," Shute interrupted, assuring his bewildered mother as they dragged the 'sick' Gundam off. "Don't worry, we'll get him checked out, see ya!"

Shute ran off after the Gundams, leaving Keiko behind to wonder. Again.

The Gundam Force zipped around the house where Gunbike and Entengo were waiting, and got moving.

"Now that's what I call teamwork, guys!" Shute remarked in the sidecar, "_Way to go!_"

Behind Gunbike, Bakunetsumaru rode on Entengo, while Zero flew several meters off the ground. High in the air, Captain entered the Re-equip Ring and entered defender mode. Now armed, Captain blasted down to where Gunbike was rolling.

"Commence docking sequence!" Gunbike ordered, and opened his cockpit up for Captain. The Gundam fitted inside and placed his shield and light rifle in their holders as the cockpit closed.

"Docking sequence complete!" Captain reported.

Shute grinned excitedly. "You wouldn't want to be those Dark Axis goons when _we_ show up, right you guys?"

-z-

The factory had seen better days. _Much _better days. Machinery had been blown up. Buildings had been set on fire. Several motivational posters had been defaced or torn down. The Dark Axis officers were wreaking so much havoc that the damage was beginning to cross over to the harbor next door.

"_Oh yeah!_" Zapper whooped as he fired off his guns, "I just love the smell of chaos in the morning!"

His glee was cut off as a beam shot down, blasting the trio off their feet. Captain soon landed in the factory across from where _they _had been thrown.

"Attention! I have been granted a special permit to use firearms in order to defend Neotopia!" He announced, "Lay down your weapons and withdraw!"

Zapper, beginning to hate the feel of pavement on his face, got up and glared at the defender. "Not on your life! You see, it's not just _one _of us you're facing this time, Captain…"

"You're taking on all _three _of us!" Grappler finished, and the three jumped into formation.

"Zapper Zaku!"

"Grapler Gouf!"

"Dom…!"

"_And the Dark Axis Rainbow Doom Boom!_"

"_Hold!_"

The trio held their fire in shock as Zero flew down.

"_Spirits in the realm of magic, gather into my wings!_" The knight chanted, "_Burn and consume the evil magic! I am Zero, the Winged Knight!_"

Grappler glared at the flying knight. "Ooh, I'm so scared! Prepare to suffer!"

But before they could do anything, Bakunetsumaru rode in on Entengo.

"The heavens call out! The Earth calls out! The _people _call out!" The samurai yelled, "Justice calls to me, and I answer! _Bakunetsumaru, The Blazing Samurai from Ark!_"

"What'd he say!" Zapper blanched.

"All three of them at once!" Grappler gulped as a nasty thought crept up into his mind. "Wait a sec'!"

Bakunetsumaru leapt from the saddle and unsheathed his swords.

"Taste my blade, you spawn of evil!" the Musha Gundam screamed, landing before the invaders.

"What the heck…" Grappler looked around. Disgruntled, he not only realized were the Gundams all around them, but that he and his partners never practiced for fighting their new move against multiple enemies either!

"You think you've got us surrounded, huh, smart guy?" Grappler blustered at Captain, "But didja ever think that maybe we've got _you _surrounded!" This was a bluff, of course- they had left the Zakos back on the _Magnamusai_. With a sigh, Grappler leapt into the air. "Okay, big deal, we'll just take you on one at a time!"

But Zapper had what he thought was a better plan. "_Every man for himself!_" he yelled, and ran at Zero.

With a nasty laugh, Destroyer charged at Captain, bazooka out.

Grappler slapped his forehead.

"All right, everyone scatter and watch your backs!" Captain ordered, and the 6 of them paired off.

-z-

Destroyer and Captain squared off, zooming around a clear area in the factory. Destroyer fired shell after shell at the Gundam, but missed each time.

"Dah, stop movin' around so much!" Destroyer bellowed, irked.

"I'll think you find that you left the safety on." Captain noted.

"Huh, really?" Destroyer checked, and saw that he _had _left the safety on, no wonder he was missing! "Thank you!"

-z-

"Is it combat you seek, so be it!" Zero held up his hand. "_Hear me, O mana!_"

A rune circle appeared, and Zero's shield descended down from it into Zero's hand. The Knight Gundam took out his Vatras Sword, and held it up as the background shimmered with rose petals.

"You won't look so pretty when I'm through with you, you dumb bucket of bolts!" Zapper roared, and fired all of his guns at the floating knight.

"_Shield of power!_" Zero summoned a rune circle to act as a shield, defending against the blitz of bullets. They bounced off the runes ineffectively.

"You clown! Pinhead! _Jerk!_" Zapper screamed as he continued to unleash hot lead.

"You're attack is as unrefined as your verbal abuse!" Zero admonished.

"_Verbal abuse isn't supposed to be refined!_"

-z-

Grappler managed to lose Bakunetsumaru and retreated to the top of the still down _Komusai_.

_I thought something like this might happen,_ Grappler thought, _Luckily, I brought along this remote detonator to blow up the _Komusai.

He held out a small plunger-like button with a Zako symbol on the top.

"And all the explosive's onboard." He muttered with evilly.

"Hide if you will, coward, but you'll never escape my blazing blades of justice!"

Bakunetsumaru leapt out and landed on the exhaust port opposite of Grappler.

"Why don't you go write a book about it?" Grappler sneered.

"So! My words do not impress you!" Bakunetsumaru replied, "Then perhaps my actions will! _Defend yourself!_"

_Man, this guy's really beginning to bug me!_ Grappler thought. "All right, have it your way, sword boy!"

The two swordsmen leapt at each other-

-Met in the air-

-And landed on twin smokestacks. They paused in confusion at the lack of damage. They whirled back at each other.

"Ha! Looks like a stand-off, samurai!" Grappler sneered, "Why don't you run along, and we'll call it even?"

"Never!" Bakunetsumaru barked, "When _masters _battle, the slightest opening decides the outcome!"

They glared at each other, blades ready. Neither or had an opening they could see.

"..Fine," Grappler gritted, "The first one who moves and drops his guard…is _toast_."

They continued to glare, unblinking and unyielding. They didn't even flinch when Gunbike roared past them.

_Man, what a showdown! All three bad guys at once! _Shute thought, _You could sell tickets!_

-z-

Back where Captain and Destroyer were facing off, the bulky 'bot was still having no luck sniping Captain.

"Stupid gun!" Destroyer cursed.

"I think I know what the problem is." Captain said, zooming into Destroyer's personal space.

"Hey, stay back!" Destroyer cried in alarm.

"You're gun's sight's off by about 10 degrees, I'd say." Captain observed.

"Huh, really?" Destroyer then realized what a perfect shot he had. "How 'bout _this _range?"

He fired into Captain's face, but there was no harm seen when the smoke cleared.

"Hey! What happened?" Destroyer cried in confusion.

Captain was glad he couldn't express emotions. The smile he felt like having would have tipped Destroyer off that when his safety was _off_ at the beginning, and pressing the switch turned it on.

Then again…Destroyer _did _take advice from an enemy.

Frustrated, Destroyer zoomed away and circled behind Captain.

Destroyer snickered. Captain couldn't dodge a shot from behind, could he! "I got ya now!"

"Are you sure?" Captain asked, rotating his entire upper body to face Dom.

"Well, I, uh…"

Captain punched Destroyer in the face, sending him flying.

-z-

"You peppy waist!" Zapper screamed, still firing at the still-protected Zero. "Peacock! Poodle! _Peppy waist!_" Gasping, Zapper fell to his knees in exhaustion. "I…already said that…"

Zero wasted no time and quickly cast a spell. "_Super Magical Violet Tornado!_"

Zapper was soon blown away, caught in a whirlwind of rose petals. The winds carried him directly between Bakunetsumaru and Grappler-

-Who _still _hadn't moved.

_This guy's _never _gonna be the first to move!_ Grappler thought, feeling his knees rust up. _Hey, wait a minute! Why am I wasting my time here? _He grinned. "Yeah!" Holding up the detonator, Grappler laughed, "I'll just use the detonator and blow this place to bits!" He froze again. "Whoopsy daisy, did I just move?"

"Fool! You've left yourself open!" Bakunetsumaru yelled, "_Secret Arts Bakunetsu! Tenkyo-Ken!_"

"Oh, good grief." Grappler muttered before the flaming X blasted him away. As he went flying, the detonator fell from his normal hand and attached itself to the _Komusai_.

-z-

Shute grinned. "Three up, three down!" He cheered, "Way to go! We're bad!"

Gunbike drove up to where the Gundams were waiting.

"Score another one for the Gundam Force!" Shute cheered.

"Yes, the day is ours!" Zero proclaimed.

"As it shall ever be as long as we fight on the side of justice!" Bakunetsumaru declared.

"And work as a team!" Captain added.

Laughing, Shute hopped out of the sidecar to further congratulate his friends- they didn't even need the Soul Drive that time- when Zapper's nefarious laughter echoed into the air. A shadow was cast over the Gundam Force- the _Komusai _had gotten loose, and was now hovering over their heads. On top were the trio, standing in a line, Destroyer Dom, (With his face dented) Zapper Zaku, (Covered in rose petals) and Grappler Gouf. (Now completely toasted)

"You pathetic do-gooders don't know the meaning of the word 'teamwork!'" Zapper snarled, glaring.

"My sentiments exactly," Grappler said, putting on his missile arm. "You couldn't teamwork your way out of a paper bag!"

"Oh _yeah!_" Shute yelled back.

"We couldn't leave without showing our new signature move…" Zapper began darkly.

Grappler chuckled. "Yeah, and it's gonna be the last thing you ever see! All right boys, all together now, let's work it!"

The Dark Axis officers, having thought up a much cooler name for their move, yelled, "_Final Deadly Screaming Chaos Catastrophe!_"

Destroyer's chest opened up to reveal twin energy emitters.

Grappler activated his missile arm.

And Zapper's visor slid down, showing a laser gun.

The three of them glowed with an evil, dark aura of red, blue and purple as they powered up.

Shute gulped. "Uh oh, I don't like the looks of this!"

"Have a little faith, Shute," Captain said calmly. He held up a gold-glowing fist. "Don't worry; we can handle anything they throw at us."

Shute grinned. "I know you can!" He cheered, "As long as you're working together, there's nothing you guys can't do!"

Zero nodded and raised his arms, channeling power. "_Spirits of Heaven and Earth, I summon you to help me! Join my strength to that of my comrades-in-arms!_"

Bakunetsumaru crouched down in prayer. "Noble ancestors, guide my blades as I lend my powers to these others. For by fighting with them, I fight for _Ark!_"

"Soul Drive, activate!" Captain cried, and his eyes enflamed. Glaring at the Dar Axis, he said, "Let's show them what teamwork _really _is!"

They yelled, "_Gundam Force Triple Attack!_"

"_Blow! Heavenly blossom winds!_" Zero commanded, creating a another Violent Tornado.

"_Ark Flaming Star!_" Bakunetsumaru yelled, and cut another fiery X. "_Tenkyo-Ken!_"

Captain leapt into the air, winding up his Punch.

The power of the three forces combined, becoming a twisting, fiery force, with Captain Gundam in the middle.

On the ship, the Dark Axis trio panicked at the incoming power. It was going to hit…!

The Triple Attack struck the _Komusai _dead-on, blasting the Dark Axis away towards the horizon.

"_Way to go!_" Shute cheered.

-z-

As they went flying, Zapper, Grappler, and Destroyer clung to _Komusai_.

"Oh, well," Grappler groaned, "Back to the drawing board!"

Zapper was not so optimistic. "I should've known it was hopeless, working with the likes of you two moronic simpletons!"

CLICK.

As one, the trio stared at the detonator. The _pressed detonator._

_BOOM!_

The Gundam Force watched the massive explosion, and the smaller ones that followed after it, from the safety of the harbor. Once it was over, Shute turned to the Gundams.

"You did it, guys!" He exclaimed, "You put your strengths together and knocked them back to the next dimension! I didn't know you had that move in you! That was like, totally awesome!" Shute punched the air. "The Gundam Force rules! Haha! We totally rock!"

"I am in complete agreement." Captain said.

"Yes, Proud knight that I am," Zero noted, "Even I will admit it felt good working together."

"The unquenchable flame of friendship between men at arms!" Bakunetsumaru shouted, "There's no feeling like it!"

Entengo neighed in a manner that meant, "You said it!"

"I'm proud of you boys," Gunbike commented, "I always knew you had it in you."

-z-

It was sunset by the time the Gundam Force returned to Shute's house. They would have gotten home sooner, but first they had to get Captain back into citizen mode…then they decided to celebrate their victory at the ice cream parlor…then the arcade…

"We should be getting home just in time for dinner," Shute told his friends, "Thank goodness, 'cause I'm starving!"

"Don't forget, Shute, you still have your homework to do tonight as well." Zero pointed out.

Shute shrugged. "No sweat, piece of cake!"

"You have certainly changed your tune," Bakunetsumaru commented, "It wasn't long ago that you were dreading it."

"Hey, all it is is an essay on the topic of friendship, right?" Shute grinned. "I'll write about you guys and what happened today."

"Sorry, Shute," Captain put in, "But the Gundam Force and the nature of our mission must remain a secret for now. As I'm sure you're well aware."

"Oh yeah…" Shute realized, "You're right! Well, what in the world am I gonna about then? _Awww!_"

The Gundams watched as Shute fell to his knees.

"_Oh man! _I'm right back where I started!"

--Book 1 end—


	16. Coming Soon

Preview of the next _SD Gundam Force _book;

"I do not fear you!" Zero yelled defiantly at the newcomer.

"You?" The knight snickered, "The coward who abandoned his princess?"

"_A lie!_"

"Good, very good!" The knight nodded, "I delight in your rage! I take sustenance from your fear. Your hatred is as mother's milk to me! And your moans of terror- music to my ears! For I am Tallgeese, Knight of the Tempest! _Gaze on my magnificence, and despair!_"

The Gundam Force and friends stared up at the evil knight as he struck a pose.

"Tall-geese?" Shute commented, "That's a pretty funky name."

Talgeese lost his composure. "_What did you say, worm!?_"

"Where is the princess!?" Zero yelled, ignoring this.

"Oh, yes, let me see," Talgeese resumed his smug poise and looked away, acting confused. "What _did _I do with her? Did I drop her into the contaminated pond? Or did I pitch her down a hole, on the hill of _illusion_?"

"You vile fiend, how dare you!" Zero roared, and would have lunged if Bakunetsumaru hadn't jumped in front.

"Leave him to me, Zero!" the Musha Gundam insisted, "_I _will make this mocking villain talk!"

Bakunetsumaru's gemstone glowed as he spun his swords around hypnotically. "_Secret Arts: Bakunetsu! Tenkyo-Ken!_" A japanese character appeared, and he charged through it at Talgeese.

"That attack might be more surprising," Talgeese sniffed, "If you didn't _announce _it first!"

Talgeese transformed his feather into a sword, and Bakunetsumaru sliced a flaming X into the air as he charged. Talgeese, unyielding, swung his sword against the X, striking so hard that Bakunetsumaru was thrown back, landing at the edge of the chasm.

"_Bakunetsumaru!_" Shute cried in alarm. This was a first. The Tenkyo-Ken…lost?

Talgeese looked at Zero smugly. "Now it's your turn, Winged Knight! Or will you use your wings to fly away from _this _fight as well?"

Coming soon

**SD Gundam Force**

Book 2

_The Mystery of Lacroa_


End file.
